# Accident 19960702015769A: Airtrc AT400, Houston, TX, July 2, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 2, 1996, 10:30 local time
- Place: Houston, TX
- Airport: Houston Intercontinental Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: In Traffic Pattern-Circling
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: AAAG
- Location: 30.0593° N, 95.0905° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.0593&lon=-95.0905&mi=10
- Aircraft: N501JS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N501JS-1997-03-28) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-400 (registry code 0390202, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-400) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT400
- Reported engine: PWA PT6A15AG
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 25,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW96FA288](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96FA288) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960702015769A

## Narrative

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

STALLED ENTERING BASE TO LAND AT AG STRIP. FOUND ELEVATOR CONTROLS FAILED FROM CORROSION.STRUT ATTACH BRACKETS GONE (-23) ON JULY 2, 1996, AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 AM CDT, AN AIR TRACTOR MODEL AT-400, N501JS, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY HOMER YOUNGBLOOD D/B/A ASSOCIATED AERIAL APPLICATORS OF DAYTON, TEXAS, AS AN FAR PART 137 AERIAL APPLICATOR UNDER CERTIFICATE NUMBER AAAG001C; IMPACTED THE TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL NEAR HUFFMAN, TEXAS. MR. HOMER A. YOUNGBLOOD, COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE NUMBER 464138, RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES AND AIR TRACTOR N501JS WAS DESTROYED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, MR. YOUNGBLOOD WAS SPRAYING RICE FIELDS WITH FERTILIZER. AFTER COMPLETING A SPRAY RUN, N501JS ENTERED A RIGH BASE TURN TO FINAL FOR LANDING ON A DIRT STRIP TO THE NORTH. DURING THE TURN THE LEFT WING DROPPED FOLLOWED BY THE NOSE, THEN N501JS IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE WAS DEVELOPING POWER PRIOR TO IMPACT. INSPECTION OF THE MAINTENANCE RECORD FOR N501JS REVEALED THAT AN ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD NOT BEEN SIGNED OFF WITHIN THE PRECEDING 12 MONTHS. INSPECTION OF N501JS REVE                                  ALED LARGE AMOUNTS OF CORROSION AROUND THE ELEVATOR WITH A POSSIBLE ELEVATOR SEPARATION. THE MEDICAL EXAMINER DID NOT FIND ANY EVIDENCE OF PILOT INCAPACITATION. MR. YOUNGBLOOD DID NOT KEEP A PILOT LOGBOOK.

## 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 FTW96FA288](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96FA288), Jul 2, 1996: Air Tractor AT-400 (N501JS), Huffman, TX, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: corroded flight control components, due to the operator's inadequate maintenance and inspection of the airplane; the pilot's failure to follow procedures and directives, by flying the airplane…

## Other reports on N501JS (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19840618027311A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19840618027311A), Jun 18, 1984: Airtrc AT400 (N501JS), Portland, AR, Substantial damage. Chopped the tail off another ag aircraft N501PR while flaring for landing. N501PR had landed from a higher pattern.

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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