Air Tractor AT-301 N23647
24 May 2013 · Wheatland, Wyoming, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 24 May 2013 at about 14:10 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N23647, operated by Shepard Robert B, was involved in an accident near Wheatland, Wyoming, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Wheatland, Wyoming, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.0531, -105.0103
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N23647
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1981
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Shepard Robert B
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Wheatland → Wheatland
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR13LA248
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot's inadequate fuel planning.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he departed for the agricultural aerial application flight with enough fuel to fly for about 1 hour 45 minutes. However, about 45 minutes into the flight, he noticed that the fuel gauges were indicating a low-fuel condition. He disregarded the gauges and continued his flight because he believed he had adequate fuel to complete the flight. A short time later, the engine lost power, and during the forced landing, the airplane impacted an irrigation ditch. Postaccident examination revealed about 1 gallon of fuel in each wing tank and no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Further, no evidence of fuel staining streaks or other indications of fuel leakage were found on the airplane. It is likely that the pilot overestimated the amount of fuel onboard the airplane at the beginning of the flight and that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-301 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 2013 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Farnsworth, Texas, United States | Terhune Flying Service Inc | No injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 2013 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Bowling Green, Missouri, United States | Air Cover Crop Solutions LLC | No injuries | - |
| 8 May 2013 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Lyons, Kansas, United States | R&B Flying | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 2013 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Simmesport, Louisiana, United States | Pro-Air LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 2013 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Colome, South Dakota, United States | Semper FI Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 24 Feb 2013 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Greenbrier, Alabama, United States | Lannie Towe | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 2013 | Aviat A 1B | LaGrange, Wyoming, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 2013 | Kamtz RV-7A | Jackson Hole, Wyoming, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 17 Feb 2013 | Cessna T310R | Casper, Wyoming, United States | Bravenec Daniel W | No injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 2013 | Cessna 172M | Saratoga, Wyoming, United States | Davis Gordon A | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jun 2013 | Cessna 170B | Rawlins, Wyoming, United States | Hohmann Courtney P | No injuries | - |
| 10 May 2013 | Cessna 172N | Newcastle, Wyoming, United States | Flightline Inc | No injuries | - |