- Date
- May 12, 2001, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Warsaw, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1008QAir Tractor AT-401
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 21, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20010512011019A
- Case key
- 52277
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the rocker assembly failure during low level maneuvering. Factors were the soft and sandy terrain and the unsuitable terrain the pilot encountered during the forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane sustained substantial damage when the airplane nosed over during a forced landing following an in-flight loss of engine power. The pilot reported no injuries. The pilot stated, "At approximately 10:30 AM spraying operation was nearing completion when in a pull out of the field being sprayed the engine made a bang, started running very rough and backfiring. Within a couple seconds the engine had lost all power and died. The pilot landed in a field that happened to be very soft and sandy. The aircraft rolled approximately 100 ft on its wheels before nosing over on its back. After further investigation it was determined a rocker shaft housing had broken on the #4 cylinder. As a result the exhaust valve was not opening. As the intake valve opened, it created backfiring into the induction system causing the engine to fail."
Factual narrative
On May 12, 2001, about 1030 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-401, N1008Q, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during a forced landing following an in-flight loss of engine power while maneuvering near Warsaw, Illinois. The aerial application flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight departed from an airstrip, near Ferris, Illinois, about 0945.
The pilot stated, "At approximately 10:30 AM spraying operation was nearing completion when in a pull out of the field being sprayed the engine made a bang, started running very rough and backfiring. Within a couple seconds the engine had lost all power and died. The pilot landed in a field that happened to be very soft and sandy. The aircraft rolled approximately 100 ft on its wheels before nosing over on its back. After further investigation it was determined a rocker shaft housing had broken on the #4 cylinder. As a result the exhaust valve was not opening. As the intake valve opened, it created backfiring into the induction system causing the engine to fail."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1008Q
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-401
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 401-0702
- Airframe hours
- 3,648
- Engine
- P&W R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Charles H. Holzwarth
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 13, 2001 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- Ferris, IL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 15, 1999
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 4,320 total · 130 in this make and model · 4,320 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
- Observed at
- EOK, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.