- Date
- July 7, 2007, 01:20 UTC
- Place
- Eldorado, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N712GSAir Tractor AT-402B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- San Antonio, Texas
- FAA report
- 20070707015629A
- Case key
- 66151
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 as result of water contamination due to a faulty seal on the refuel tank port. A contributing factor was t he 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 30,000-hour commercial pilot reported that the turbine-powered agricultural airplane made a hard landing after experiencing a loss of engine power. The pilot added that he was performing the last aerial application flight of the day when the engine lost power. The pilot further stated that the tailwheel equipped airplane had been refueled from a 1,000 gallon fuel tank located at his property. He added that the fuel storage tank was contaminated with water due to the torrential rain experienced this season. The rain water entered the fuel storage tank through a worn-out seal on the tank's refueling port. The airplane came to rest on a rough and uneven clearing located about 3 miles from the point of departure. The landing gear separated from the aircraft upon landing and the fuselage sustained structural damage to the underside of the aircraft. The pilot was not injured during the mishap. A post accident examination of the airplane conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that water contamination was present in the aircraft's engine fuel filter.
Factual narrative
The 30,000-hour commercial pilot reported that the turbine-powered agricultural airplane made a hard landing after experiencing a loss of engine power. The pilot added that he was performing the last aerial application flight of the day when the engine lost power. The pilot further stated that the tailwheel equipped airplane had been refueled from a 1,000 gallon fuel tank located at his property. He added that the fuel storage tank was contaminated with water due to the torrential rain experienced this season. The rain water entered the fuel storage tank through a worn-out seal on the tank's refueling port. The airplane came to rest on a rough and uneven clearing located about 3 miles from the point of departure. The landing gear separated from the aircraft upon landing and the fuselage sustained structural damage to the underside of the aircraft. The pilot was not injured during the mishap. A post accident examination of the airplane conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that water contamination was present in the aircraft's engine fuel filter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N712GS
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-402B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 402B-1186
- Airframe hours
- 52
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-11AG, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Bertram L. Bruton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- Eldorado, TX
- Destination
- Eldorado, TX
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2006
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 30,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 29,700 as pilot in command · 130 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.