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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

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NTSB Report

July 11, 1995 · Air Tractor AT-401 · N1004W

Cash, AR

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
July 11, 1995
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (1 uninjured)
Location
Cash, AR
Aircraft
Air Tractor AT-401
Tail Number
N1004W
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
FTW95LA301

THE AIRPLANE WAS EN ROUTE TO FERTILIZE A FIELD WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND BEGAN 'BACKFIRING, MISSING AND SMOKING.' THE PILOT DUMPED HIS LOAD AND ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE AIRSTRIP. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO LOSE POWER AND THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A BEAN FIELD. THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. MAGNETO TESTING REVEALED ONE MAGNETO WAS NOT FIRING DUE TO INTERNAL DRIVE GEAR FAILURE AND THE OTHER MAGNETO WAS MISFIRING DUE TO A 'WIDE' POINT GAP CLEARANCE.

NTSB Probable Cause

ENGINE POWER LOSS DUE TO PARTIAL FAILURE OF ONE MAGNETO COMBINED WITH TOTAL FAILURE OF THE OTHER MAGNETO. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING.

Full Narrative

On July 11, 1995, at 1140 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-401, N1004W, nosed over during a forced landing near Cash, Arkansas. The commercial pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. No flight plan was filed for the aerial application flight conducted by Morrison Aircraft Corporation under Title 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which departed a private airstrip near Cash at 1135 CDT. According to the pilot, he was en route to fertilize a field when the engine lost power and began "backfiring, missing and smoking." The pilot dumped the load of Urea and attempted to return to the private airstrip. The engine continued to lose power and the pilot landed in a soybean field. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Damage included a bent vertical stabilizer and rudder and deformed rear fuselage longerons. The operator arranged to have a certified repair station examine the magnetos. When run on a test stand, one of the magnetos failed to spark. Disassembly revealed that an internal drive gear had failed. The other magneto was tested and failed to spark below 400 rpm and displayed "erratic misfiring" above 400 rpm. The point gap clearance was measured and found to be "too wide causing misfiring at low and high rpm."

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time11:40 CDT
Nearest Airport0nm
Runway0
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftAir Tractor AT-401
Tail NumberN1004W
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
Operating RulePart 137
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsP&W · R-1340-AN-1 · Reciprocating · 600
Seats1

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (1 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured1
Total1
Crew 1Age 34 · Second Class

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
WindCalm
Visibility15 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point0 C
Altimeter0
Weather SourcePILO

Appendix: Source Data