19960920044379I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Airtrc AT-401 · Omro, WI · September 20, 1996

Date: September 20, 1996 · 08:30 local
Place: Omro, WI
Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: PFKG
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N1015L
Reported as: Airtrc AT401
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney R134053
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,426 total1,686 in this make and model216 in the last 90 days

N1015LRegistered now · Air Tractor AT-401S/N 401-0730 · Built 1989 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-401 Engine modelPratt & Whitney R1340 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on September 20, 1996, at 0830 CST an air tractor AT-401, N1015L, had an engine failure during pull up and following an aerial application. The operations were being conducted near Omro, WI. The commercial pilot received no injuries and the aircraft sustained minor damage. The aircraft was being operated as an aerial application flight by gary stone the owner, under 14 CFR part 137 when the incident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. Investigation revealed the engine failure was the result of a carburetor malfunction. Where the carb was disassembled it was noted the float/needle valve assembly had loosened/backed out, causing a "lean" float fuel level.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON SEPTEMBER 20, 1996, AT 0830 CST AN AIR TRACTOR AT-401, N1015L, HAD AN ENGINE FAILURE DURING PULL UP AND FOLLOWING AN AERIAL APPLICATION. THE OPERATIONS WERE BEING CONDUCTED NEAR OMRO, WI. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT RECEIVED NO INJURIES AND THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED AS AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT BY GARY STONE THE OWNER, UNDER 14 CFR PART 137 WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF A CARBURETOR MALFUNCTION. WHERE THE CARB WAS DISASSEMBLED IT WAS NOTED THE FLOAT/NEEDLE VALVE ASSEMBLY HAD LOOSENED/BACKED OUT, CAUSING A "LEAN" FLOAT FUEL LEVEL.