# Accident 19970708017159A: Airtrc AT401, Altha, FL, July 8, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 8, 1997, 16:50 local time
- Place: Altha, FL
- Airport: Farm Air Service Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: LYZG
- Location: 30.5698° N, 85.1206° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.5698&lon=-85.1206&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1509C, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1509C-2015-05-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-401 (registry code 0390204, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-401) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 series (registry code 52016, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT401
- Reported engine: PWA R1340*
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 9,000 total, 4,000 in this make and model, 50 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA97LA208](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97LA208) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970708017159A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWER LINES, CRASHED INTO TREES WHILE DEPARTING A PRIVATE STRIP. (.4)THE FLIGHT WAS TAKING OFF ON A RUNWAY THAT WAS PART ASPHALT AND PART GRASS.  THE TAKEOFF ROLL WAS STARTED ON THE ASPHALT, AND WHEN THE AIRPLANE REACHED THE GRASS PART OF THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT SAID HE ATTEMPTED TO 'DUMP' THE CHEMICALS ABOUT 100 FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY, BECAUSE THE AIRPLANE WOULD NOT COME OFF THE GROUND.  THE PILOT WAS INTERVIEWED AT HIS HOME BY THE SHERIFF, AND SAID; '...UPON TAKING OFF, THE PLANE WOULD JUST NOT GET UP...HE FLEW THE PLANE EARLIER WITHOUT A PROBLEM...WHEN HE DUMPED THE LOAD OF CHEMICALS ON THE RUNWAY, THE PLANE WENT UP, HIT THE TOP OF A POWER POLE WITH A WING AND THEN WENT DOWN INTO SMALL PINES....'  THE FAA INSPECTOR'S REPORTED STATED THAT PILOT SAID 'HE HAD PROBLEMS WITH AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE ON CLIMBOUT.'  EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME AND ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL ANY DISCREPANCIES.  SEVERAL WITNESSES RAN TO THE CRASH TO AID THE PILOT, AND THEY STATED THAT WHEN THEY REACH THE PILOT THEY SAW THAT HE 'STAGGERED AND SMELLED OF ALCOHOL.'  THE WITNESSES SAID THEY DID NOT SEE HIM CONSUME ANYTHING BEF                                                                     ORE HE GOT INTO A CAR 'BRONCO' AND LEAVE THE SCENE. A TEST TAKEN IN THE HOSPITAL ABOUT 2 HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT SHOWED AN ETHANOL LEVEL OF 143 MG/DL IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD.                                                    (-23) SEE NARRATIVE #MIA97LA208

## 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 MIA97LA208](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97LA208), Jul 8, 1997: Air Tractor AT-401 (N1509C), Altha, FL, destroyed. Probable cause: the pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol which led to his failure to maintain control of the airplane.

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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