Air Tractor AT 602 N50634

Summary

On 24 July 2019 at about 16:05 local time, a Air Tractor AT 602 registered N50634, operated by Delta Dusters II Llc, was involved in an accident near Walls, Mississippi, 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

24 July 2019 at 16:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Walls, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Private strip (PVT)

Coordinates

34.9575, -90.1517

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT 602

Registration

N50634

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Delta Dusters II Llc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Walls → Walls

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA244

Nobody was injured.

The improper fuel servicing of the airplane, which resulted in water contamination of the airplane's fuel supply and a subsequent loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had been conducting an aerial application flight for a few hours and returned to the airport to reload. While one loader was loading, another loader used a forklift to tilt the fuel tank so that fuel would flow toward the suction hose on the tank. The airplane was fueled with about 100 gallons of fuel. Once loading was complete, the pilot departed. He reported that the takeoff was normal until about 1/4 mile past the end of the airstrip; the airplane then lost engine power, which resulted a forced landing and substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. He reported that the airplane had been functioning normally up until that time. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a large quantity of water contamination in the fuel system components. No other preimpact anomalies were detected. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that ground personnel’s use of the forklift to tilt the fuel tank allowed water that had settled in the bottom of the tank to be drawn into the suction hose, thereby contaminating the fuel being delivered to the airplane. The resulting contamination of the airplane's fuel supply was significant enough to result in the loss of engine power. 

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.