- Date
- May 29, 2006, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tuckerman, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N175LAAir Tractor AT-802
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FSDO, Oklahoma City, OK
- FAA report
- 20060529013339A
- Case key
- 63802
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 loss of engine power due to water contamination in the fuel. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for 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 13,000-hour commercial pilot departed from a private airstrip for an aerial application flight. Approximately, 3 miles from the airstrip the 1,350 horsepower engine lost power and the pilot elected to execute a forced landing in a rice field. The pilot stated that he was "forced" to make the emergency landing in the rice field because of the "low altitude" he was at when the engine lost power. During the forced landing, the airplane received structural damage. The operator reported that he found "a substantial amount" of water in the airplane's header tank.
Factual narrative
The 13,000-hour commercial pilot departed from a private airstrip for an aerial application flight. Approximately, 3 miles from the airstrip the 1,350 horsepower engine lost power and the pilot elected to execute a forced landing in a rice field. The pilot stated that he was "forced" to make the emergency landing in the rice field because of the "low altitude" he was at when the engine lost power. During the forced landing, the airplane received structural damage. The operator reported that he found "a substantial amount" of water in the airplane's header tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N175LA
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-802
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 802A-0175
- Airframe hours
- 1,128.1
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A, 1,350 lbs thrust, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Farm Air Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 1, 2006
- Departed
- Tuckerman, AR
- Destination
- Tuckerman, AR
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
- 48
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2006
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 4,402 in this make and model · 12,000 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 20 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.