# Accident 19981019029799A: Airtrc AT400, Azetc, NM, October 19, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 19, 1998, 13:00 local time - Place: Azetc, NM - Airport: Aztec Municipal Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137) - Operator: KOVG - Location: 36.8192° N, 108.0005° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.8192&lon=-108.0005&mi=10 - Aircraft: N73080, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N73080) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Air Tractor AT-400 (registry code 0390202, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-400) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series (registry code 52034, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT400 - Reported engine: PWA PT6A11 - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 24,200 total, 3,000 in this make and model, 420 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN99TA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99TA013) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981019029799A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT WAS INVOLVED IN AERIAL APPLICATION WHEN THE ENGINE RAN OUT OF OIL DUE TO THE PILOT NOT SECURING THE DIPSTICK.(.19) ON OCTOBER 19, 1998, APPROXIMATELY 1300 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-400, N73080, OPERATED BY J.R. DAVIS FLYING SERVICE UNDER CONTRACT TO THE U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING NEAR AZTEC, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT ABOARD, WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 137. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT AZTEC, NEW MEXICO, APPROXIMATELY 1230. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION INDICATES THE ENGINE LOST POWER DUE TO OIL STARVATION. A FORCED LANDING ENSUED AND WHEN THE WHEELS CONTACTED THE GROUND, THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE OIL DIPSTICK WAS NOT SECURED. (.4)ON OCTOBER 19, 1998, APPROXIMATELY 1300 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-400, N73080, OPERATED BY J.R. DAVIS FLYING SERVICE UNDER CONTRACT TO THE U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING NEAR AZTEC, NEW MEXICO. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT ABORARD, WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 PART 137. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT AZTEC, NEW MEXICO, APPROXIMATELY 1230. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S ACCIDENT REPORT, HE HAD FLOWN THE AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT FOR 12 MINUTES WHEN HE BEGAN TO "GET OIL ON (THE) WINDSHEILD, AND (BEGAN) LOSING OIL PRESSURE." A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ENSUED. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE RIGHT WING STRUCK A TREE. THE AIRPLANE SPUN AROUND AND SLID SIDEWAYS, COLLAPSING THE LEFT LANDING GEAR. THE LEFT WING WAS ALSO "WRINKLED." THE PILOT SAID HE FOUND THE OIL DIPSTICK HAD NOT BEEN SECURED. (-23) ON OCTOBER 19, 1998, AT 1155 MST, AN AIR TRACTOR, N73080, REGISTERED TO JAMES R. DAVIS, HAD A FORCED LANDING NEAR AZTEC, NEW MEXICO, WHILE PERFORMING AERIAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT AZTEC, NEW MEXICO, ON OCTOBER 19, 1998 AT 1143 MST. ## 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 DEN99TA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99TA013), Oct 19, 1998: Air Tractor AT-400 (N73080), Aztec, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane. Factors were the unsecured oil dipstick, the loss of engine oil pressure necessitating a precautionary landing on unsuitable terrain, and… ## Other reports on N73080 (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 19961021047419A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961021047419A), Oct 21, 1996: Airtrc AT400 (N73080), Sylvester, GA, Substantial damage. (-16) AT-400 ag aircraft conducting cotton defoliant spraying suffered loss on engine power. During the forced landing the aircraft was excessively braked… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.