- Date
- May 14, 1993, 07:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Oconto, NE
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4503UAir Tractor AT-401
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930514013739A
- Case key
- 15716
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 pilot's inability to maintain altitude after encountering a downdraft.
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 pilot was over flying a field in preparation for a spraying run when a rain shower occurred. The pilot stated a microburst was encountered and he dumped the chemical load in an attempt to maintain altitude. The airplane descended from an altitude of approximately 400 feet to impact with the terrain. A surface weather report issued 25 minutes after the accident from the broken bow airport, 19 miles north-northeast of the accident site, reported virga south-southwest of the airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4503U
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-401
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 401-0748
- Airframe hours
- 1,159
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-ANI, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Olson Air Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Arlen A. Olson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 8, 1993 · 140 hours before
- Departed
- Holdrege, NE
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,848 total · 247 in this make and model · 1,750 as pilot in command · 179 in the last 90 days · 128 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BBW, 19 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.