19990825030229I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Airtrc AT-301 · August 25, 1999

Date: August 25, 1999 · 14:00 local
Phase of flight: Forced Landing
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7305G
Reported as: Airtrc AT301
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 18,000 total2,000 in this make and model375 in the last 90 days

N7305GRegistered now · Air Tractor AT-301S/N 301-0603 · Built 1985 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-301 Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A 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.

(-23) Pilot reported that during a spraying operation the engine began to run rough resulting in low power and backfire. The pilot started to return to the airport and realized the aircraft would not make it. The remaining load was dumped and an emergency landing was made in a nearby field. On landing roll out, the aircraft went over a road and a ditch and slowly flipped over. The pilot was not injured and damage to the aircraft was limited to the propeller and minor skin damage. Inspection of the engine showed a failure of one cylinder exhaust valve rocker arm.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING A SPRAYING OPERATION THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH RESULTING IN LOW POWER AND BACKFIRE. THE PILOT STARTED TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AND REALIZED THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT MAKE IT. THE REMAINING LOAD WAS DUMPED AND AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE IN A NEARBY FIELD. ON LANDING ROLL OUT, THE AIRCRAFT WENT OVER A ROAD AND A DITCH AND SLOWLY FLIPPED OVER. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED AND DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIMITED TO THE PROPELLER AND MINOR SKIN DAMAGE. INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE SHOWED A FAILURE OF ONE CYLINDER EXHAUST VALVE ROCKER ARM.