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20190515004689I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Air Tractor AT-502B · Grandfield, OK · May 15, 2019

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 15, 2019 · 16:30 local
Place
Grandfield, OK
Airport
Grandfield Municipal
Phase of flight
Maneuver
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
862G
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N6039S
Reported as
Air Tractor AT-502B
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,939 total90 in this make and model90 in the last 90 days
N6039SRegistered now · Air Tractor AT-502BS/N 502B-0256 · Built 1994Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-502BEngine 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.

On may 15, 2019, at approximately 1630 CST, an Air tractor AT-502B, N6039S, registered to texoma sprayers, was forced to perform an emergency landing on a farm field approximately 3.5 miles east of Grandfield Municipal Airport (1O1) after running out of fuel in flight. The pilot departed 1O1 with a full load of fuel and stated he had enough fuel for 2 hours and 15 minutes of flight time. While spraying chemical on the last field and after 2 hours of flight time, the pilot made his last swath of chemical application and banked the aircraft for a return to 1O1. It was at this point that the engine lost power and the pilot attempted to restart the engine by turning on the ignitors and fuel boost pump which had no effect. The pilot then looked for a good place to perform an emergency landing and did so on a flat field. During the landing rollout, the aircraft encountered a muddy area of the field and nosed over enough to where the propeller made contact with the ground. The aircraft sustained minor damage to the propeller, left flap, and spray boom. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The pilot was the only one on board and was not injured.

As the FAA filed it

ON MAY 15, 2019, AT APPROXIMATELY 1630 CST, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-502B, N6039S, REGISTERED TO TEXOMA SPRAYERS, WAS FORCED TO PERFORM AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON A FARM FIELD APPROXIMATELY 3.5 MILES EAST OF GRANDFIELD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (1O1) AFTER RUNNING OUT OF FUEL IN FLIGHT. THE PILOT DEPARTED 1O1 WITH A FULL LOAD OF FUEL AND STATED HE HAD ENOUGH FUEL FOR 2 HOURS AND 15 MINUTES OF FLIGHT TIME. WHILE SPRAYING CHEMICAL ON THE LAST FIELD AND AFTER 2 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME, THE PILOT MADE HIS LAST SWATH OF CHEMICAL APPLICATION AND BANKED THE AIRCRAFT FOR A RETURN TO 1O1. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THAT THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE BY TURNING ON THE IGNITORS AND FUEL BOOST PUMP WHICH HAD NO EFFECT. THE PILOT THEN LOOKED FOR A GOOD PLACE TO PERFORM AN EMERGENCY LANDING AND DID SO ON A FLAT FIELD. DURING THE LANDING ROLLOUT, THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A MUDDY AREA OF THE FIELD AND NOSED OVER ENOUGH TO WHERE THE PROPELLER MADE CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER, LEFT FLAP, AND SPRAY BOOM. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT WAS THE ONLY ONE ON BOARD AND WAS NOT INJURED.