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20090820017039A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Airtrc AT-802A · Austin, NV · August 20, 2009

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
August 20, 2009 · 15:45 local
Place
Austin, NV
Phase of flight
Maneuver
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N807MA
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR09GA407
Reported as
Airtrc AT802A
Reported engine
PWC PT6A67AG
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
0 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
N807MARegistration cancelled Dec 16, 2011 · Air Tractor AT-802AS/N 802A-0145 · Built 2003Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-802AEngine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67AGTurbo-prop

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) The pilot was maneuvering his single engine air tanker (seat) at a low altitude in mountainous terrain to carry out his third fire retardant drop of the day. Witness reported and a site visit revealed that the airplane approached the designated drop area from the south. One witness stated that the airplane was on final approach for his drop area but at the expected time, no retardarnt was released. The witness stated that he then observed the airplane making contact with a sparsely vegetated hillside and heading to the top of the ridge. This was verified by the site visit when the airplane's tire tracks were observed on the hillside. The airplane then crested the top of the ridge and clipped some small pine and juniper trees. The airplane became airborne for a short distance making abrupt maneuvers and ultimately collided with the ground on an relatively flat area in the same direction as his approach, about 250 yards from the ridge top. The debris path from the ridge top to the wreckage site included the left main landing gear and wing fragments.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT WAS MANEUVERING HIS SINGLE ENGINE AIR TANKER (SEAT) AT A LOW ALTITUDE IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN TO CARRY OUT HIS THIRD FIRE RETARDANT DROP OF THE DAY. WITNESS REPORTED AND A SITE VISIT REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE APPROACHED THE DESIGNATED DROP AREA FROM THE SOUTH. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS ON FINAL APPROACH FOR HIS DROP AREA BUT AT THE EXPECTED TIME, NO RETARDARNT WAS RELEASED. THE WITNESS STATED THAT HE THEN OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE MAKING CONTACT WITH A SPARSELY VEGETATED HILLSIDE AND HEADING TO THE TOP OF THE RIDGE. THIS WAS VERIFIED BY THE SITE VISIT WHEN THE AIRPLANE'S TIRE TRACKS WERE OBSERVED ON THE HILLSIDE. THE AIRPLANE THEN CRESTED THE TOP OF THE RIDGE AND CLIPPED SOME SMALL PINE AND JUNIPER TREES. THE AIRPLANE BECAME AIRBORNE FOR A SHORT DISTANCE MAKING ABRUPT MANEUVERS AND ULTIMATELY COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND ON AN RELATIVELY FLAT AREA IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS HIS APPROACH, ABOUT 250 YARDS FROM THE RIDGE TOP. THE DEBRIS PATH FROM THE RIDGE TOP TO THE WRECKAGE SITE INCLUDED THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND WING FRAGMENTS.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR09GA407Accident · 1 fatalFinal reportAustin, NVThe pilot’s failure to maintain a stabilized approach prior to the retardant drop and his subsequent failure to release the retardant load, resulting in a stall/mush and collision with terrain.Aug 20, 2009 · Substantial damage