- Date
- September 1, 1996, 11:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Brownfield, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1502FAir Tractor AT-401
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960901025779A
- Case key
- 19968
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 failure to maintain directional control during landing roll. A factor was the crosswind.
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
According to the operator, during the landing on a private ag-strip, a slight crosswind resulted in the airplane diverting into an adjacent cotton field. The airplane bounced across soft crop rows for 60 feet to 70 feet until the left landing gear collapsed, at which point the left wing struck the ground and the motor/prop struck the ground subsequently flipping the aircraft completely over.
Factual narrative
On September 1, 1996, at 1145 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-401, N1502F, was substantially damaged during landing near Brownfield, Texas. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Foshee Flying Service under Title 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial application flight which originated from a private Ag-strip approximately 45 minutes before the accident. A flight plan was not filed.
The operator stated, in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, that during the landing on a private ag-strip, a "slight crosswind" resulted in the airplane diverting into an adjacent cotton field. "The plane was bouncing across soft crop rows for 60 feet to 70 feet until the left landing gear collapsed, at which point the left wing struck the ground and the motor/prop struck the ground subsequently flipping the aircraft completely over."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1502F
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-401
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 401-0819
- Airframe hours
- 1,711
- Engine
- P&W R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Foshee Spraying Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 19, 1996 · 299 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · J&L Farms, runway 18, 4,000 × 25 ft, gravel
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 6,272 total · 1,600 in this make and model · 6,000 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 200 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.