# Accident 19960701015699A: Airtrc AT501, Almyra, AR, July 1, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 1, 1996, 12:18 local time
- Place: Almyra, AR
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: KRKG
- Location: 34.4008° N, 91.4108° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.4008&lon=-91.4108&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7314C, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7314C-1997-03-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-501 (registry code 0390302, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-501) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT501
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW96LA286](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA286) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960701015699A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED CONTROL LOCK IN A TURN AND SPUN INTO A LAKE. (-23) ON JULY 1, 1997, AT APPROXIMATELY 1218 CDT, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-502, N7314C, REGISTERED TO HARTLEY FLYING SERVICE, INC., CRASHED INTO A RESERVOIR DURING A TURN WHILE PERFORMING A 14 CFR 137 SPRAYING OPERATION. NO FLIGHT PLANS ARE FILED FOR AGRICULTURE OPERATIONS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. NO FIRE DAMAGE. THE PILOT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND IS A CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT A FARM STRIP NEAR ALMYRA, AR. DUE TO INFORMATION IN THE PILOT'S REPORT TO THE NTSB, INDICATING THAT WHILE THE FLAPS WERE LOWERED FOR A TURNING MANEUVER, THERE WAS A BINDING OF THE AILERON CONTROLS WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE FLAP ACTUATOR AND MICROSWITCHES WERE REMOVED FROM THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT AND FORWARDED TO THE NTSB. THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER HAS WRITTEN A REVISED SERVICE LETTER TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. THIS MANUFACTURER IS WRITING SERVICE LETTER TO PREVENT INTERFERENCE OF FLAP PUSH ROD TO THE MAIN AILERON PUSH TUBE. THIS SERVICE LETTER WILL BECOME A PROVISION FOR PERFORMING MAINTENANCE WHEN AN AIRWORTHIN         ESS DIRECTIVE IS INITIATED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW96LA286](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA286), Jul 1, 1996: Air Tractor AT-502 (N7314C), Almyra, AR, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. A factor was the pilot's excessive use of flaps during the maneuver.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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