- Date
- August 25, 2003, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Winnsboro, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N301AFAir Tractor AT-301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030825025249A
- Case key
- 57781
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 inadequate inflight planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A 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 8,500-hour commercial pilot was performing aerial application on a field when the engine lost power. During the forced landing into a field, the airplane impacted several small trees before coming to rest in an upright position. The pilot reported the fuel on-board from his last takeoff earlier in the day was 60 gallons. The fuel cells were found to be empty.
Factual narrative
On August 25, 2003, about 1630 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-301 single-engine tailwheel-equipped airplane, N301AF, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while maneuvering near Winnsboro, Louisiana. The airplane was owned and operated by Midway Farms, Inc., of Forest, Louisiana. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight originated from the Winnsboro Municipal Airport, near Winnsboro, Louisiana, approximately 1515.
On the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), the 8,592-hour pilot stated that fuel on-board from his last takeoff earlier in the day was 60 gallons.
According to information provided by an FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the pilot was performing an aerial application on a field when the engine loss power. During the forced landing into a field, the airplane impacted several small trees before coming to rest in an upright position. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that both wings and the left landing gear were sheared from the fuselage, and the fuel cells were empty.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N301AF
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 301-0594
- Airframe hours
- 6,197
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney Canada R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Chuck Paris, doing business as Paris Air
- Registered owner
- Midway Farms, INC.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 4, 2003 · 200 hours before
- Departed
- F89 · Winnsboro, LA
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
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- November 21, 2001
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 8,572 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 8,476 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 150 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.