- Date
- September 10, 1992, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Alice, ND
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8823SAir Tractor AT-301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920910042119A
- Case key
- 15261
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
Complete loss of engine power as a result of the partial failure of four pistons.
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 agricultural pilot was on his second flight of the day. Just after takeoff he experienced a complete loss of power. The airplane landed in some small trees 50 feet from the end of the runway, and nosed-over into a corn field. The investigation revealed that four of the cylinders had lost compression, and that the piston ring lands of the four pistons in these cylinders were damaged, allowing blow-by.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8823S
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 301-0198
- Airframe hours
- 3,023
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Kirby J. Hahn, doing business as Hahn Spraying Service
- Registered owner
- Kirby J. Hahn
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 7, 1992 · 147 hours before
- Departed
- 04ND
- Destination
- 04ND
- Airport
- 04ND · Hahn Field, runway 18, 2,040 × 50 ft, grass/turf
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 700 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 0.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FAR, 30 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.