# Accident 20060601008109A: Airtrc AT401, Garden City, TX, June 1, 2006

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 1, 2006, 11:00 local time
- Place: Garden City, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: SMRG
- Location: 31.8667° N, 101.4833° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.8667&lon=-101.4833&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7318C, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7318C-2009-06-10) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-401 (registry code 0390204, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-401) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT401
- Reported engine: PWA R1340*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,429 total, 412 in this make and model, 140 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DFW06CA149](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW06CA149) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060601008109A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON JUNE 1, 2006, N7318C, AN AIR TRACTOR MODEL AT-401 AIRCRAFT, RAN OUT OF FUEL DURING A FLIGHT TEST AND SUBSEQUENTLY MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A COTTON FIELD APPROXIMATELY .3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTH END OF RUNWAY 34 AT SUMMERS SPRAYING SERVICE, INC. NEAR SAINT LAWRENCE, TEXAS. THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE GROUND FIRST FOLLOWED BY THE TWO MAIN LANDING GEAR, THEN THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED ONE TIME AND CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 140 FEET FROM INITIAL IMPACT. THE SKID MARKS WERE ON A HEADING OF 125 DEGREES AND THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON A HEADING OF 130 DEGREES. BOTH PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT, ONE BEING VERY MINOR AND THE OTHER BENT BACKWARD ABOUT MIDSPAN. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, WHICH INCLUDED THE RIGHT WING, RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COMPLETELY BROKEN OFF, AND THE FUSELAGE BUCKLED ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE ALONG THE LOWER LONGERONS. NO INJURIES WERE RECEIVED BY THE PILOT, WHICH WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (VMC) PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE 14 CFR PART 91 VFR FLIGHT.

## 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 DFW06CA149](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW06CA149), Jun 1, 2006: Air Tractor AT-401 (N7318C), Garden City, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's improper in-flight planning resulting in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

## Other reports on N7318C (1)

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

- [Accident 19900827036489A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19900827036489A), Aug 27, 1990: Airtrc AT401 (N7318C), Jacksonville, AR, Substantial damage. Reported partial power loss on takeoff. Mushed in crop and nosed over. Engine ran normal on test. High temperature.

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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