# Accident 20180814011569A: Air Tractor Inc AT-802A, Laurier, WA, August 14, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 14, 2018, 15:15 local time
- Place: Laurier, WA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: 7AQG
- Location: 48.9803° N, 118.0178° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.9803&lon=-118.0178&mi=10
- Aircraft: N397AS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N397AS-2020-12-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-802A (registry code 0390308, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-802a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67F (registry code 52290, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-67f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-802A
- Reported engine: P&W CANADA PT6A-67F
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 8,012 total, 3,215 in this make and model, 90 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR18LA222](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18LA222) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180814011569A

## Narrative

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

THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING FIRE RUN MISSIONS NEAR LAURIER WASHINGTON ON AUGUST 14 WHEN HE LOST ENGINE POWER. THE PILOT HAD JUST FILLED THE HOPPER, AND WAS RETURNING TO CONDUCT ANOTHER RUN. THE PILOT WAS FLYING AT ABOUT 800 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL) AND CLIMBING TO CLEAR A RIDGE, WHICH WAS ABOUT 300 FEET BELOW WHEN A LOUD BAND WAS HEARD. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BANG, A DISTRESS CALL WAS MADE, AND THEN THE EMERGENCY DUMP LEVER WAS PULLED TO LOSE THE LOAD OF WATER. AFTER THAT, THE PILOT MADE A 200 DEGREE TURN, AND BEGAN TO LOOK FOR A SPOT TO LAND. THE ENGINE THROTTLE WAS TRIED AGAIN, THE ENGINE SPOOLING UP COULD BE HEARD, BUT NO POWER WAS PRODUCED. THE PILOT OPTED TO LAND IN THE TREES, AS THE AIRCRAFT WOULDN?T FIT ON THE ROAD AVAILABLE. AFTER LANDING, THE ENGINE HAD A FLASH FIRE OUT OF THE RIGHT SIDE FOR A SPLIT SECOND. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE AIRCRAFT AND MAKE IT TO THE ADJACENT ROAD, WHERE HE WAS SPOTTED BY OTHER AIRCRAFT.

## 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 WPR18LA222](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18LA222), Aug 14, 2018: Air Tractor AT802 (N397AS), Northport, WA, substantial damage. Probable cause: A total loss of engine power during a climb due to an accumulation of molten environmental particles, the source of which could not be determined based on the available evidence, which resulted in a…

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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