Air Tractor AT 301 N3169D

Summary

On 20 June 2018 at about 16:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT 301 registered N3169D, operated by Classic Arrow Inc, was involved in an accident near Hutchinson, Minnesota, 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.

Date

20 June 2018 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hutchinson, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Hutchinson Muni-Butler Field (HCD)

Coordinates

44.5128, -94.3000

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT 301

Registration

N3169D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1984

Engines

1

Operator

Classic Arrow Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hutchinson → Hutchinson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA371

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper preflight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, during an agricultural application flight, he accidentally loaded more fertilizer to disperse than he had initially planned, which made the airplane "heavy." He chose not to add fuel to prevent the airplane from being over its gross weight. During flight, the engine lost power, and the pilot conducted a forced landed in a dirt field that was water-logged due to recent storms. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that "I misjudged what I believed to be a safe quantity of fuel remaining." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.