# NTSB LAX07TA222: Air Tractor AT-802A, N806MA, Winnemucca, NV, July 18, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Final report - Date: July 17, 2007, 19:22 local (Jul 18, 2007, 02:22 UTC) - Place: Winnemucca, NV - Coordinates: 40.634166, -117.797775 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.6342&lon=-117.7978&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report July 30, 2008 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: US Department of the Interior, Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 66263 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX07TA222 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/66263/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX07TA222 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with terrain while maneuvering. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, maneuvering - aerial application - weather condition - downdraft - clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - terrain condition - mountainous/hilly ## Analysis The airplane, along with two others, was engaged in dropping fire retardant on a wildfire. The pilot planned on dropping his load into a retardant gap area that was created by the retardant drops of the other two air tanker aircraft. The pilot reported that he "was anxious to get [to the fire] because that fire was definitely on its way through the gap." During the first run of his drop, the pilot flew in a southerly direction heading downhill. After the first drop, the pilot said he "pulled off left and executed a 270-degree right turn to set up for another drop." The pilot began his second drop heading north uphill into rising terrain. After a few moments, the pilot realized the airplane would not out climb the terrain. He attempted a right turn to remain clear of the terrain; however, the airplane impacted about 10 feet below the crest of a hill in a level attitude. The pilot said that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane, and he had been caught by a downdraft during the drop. ## Factual narrative On July 17, 2007, at 1922 Pacific daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-802A single engine air tanker (SEAT), N806MA, operated under the call sign Tanker 458, was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain during a fire retardant drop near Winnemucca, Nevada. The United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), operated the airplane under an exclusive public-use firefighting contract. The wild land fire partially consumed the airplane as it swept through the accident site. The certificated airline transport pilot (ATP), the sole occupant, received minor injuries. At the time of the event, a BLM flight plan was filed, with an air attack airplane overhead in communications with the pilot of the accident airplane. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area flight. The airplane departed Winnemucca Municipal Airport (WMC) at 1914, and was tracked by the BLM via Automated Flight Following (AFF). According to the operator, three SEAT aircraft were providing fire suppression support to the Barrel Springs, Nevada, fire. On the day of the accident, the pilot flew 16 flights, which totaled 6.17 hours of flight time. On the 17th flight, the pilot planned on dropping into a retardant gap area that was created by the two other SEAT aircraft. The pilot reported that he "was anxious to get [to the fire] because that fire was definitely on its way through the gap." During the first run of his drop, the pilot flew in a southerly direction heading downhill. After the first drop, the pilot said he "pulled off left and executed a 270-degree right turn to set up for another drop." The pilot began his second drop heading north into rising terrain. After a few moments, the pilot realized the airplane would not out climb the terrain, and he attempted a right turn to remain clear of the terrain; however, the airplane impacted the terrain in an upright, level attitude approximately 10 feet below the crest of a hill. The air attack pilot stated that the accident pilot relayed to him that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane, and he had been caught by a downdraft during the drop. The weather at the time of the accident based on Remote Automated Weather Service (RAWS) data was wind from the west at 14 miles per hour; sky clear; visibility 10 nautical miles; temperature 90 degrees Fahrenheit; altimeter setting of 29.82 inches of Mercury; and a calculated density altitude of 8,257 feet. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N806MA](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N806MA-2007-10-31), registration cancelled 2007-10-31, S/N 802A-0058, built 1998 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Air Tractor AT-802A - Registry model: [Air Tractor AT-802A](https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-802a) (registry code 0390308) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-65ag) (registry code 52109, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 8020-0058 - Airframe hours: 2113.6 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A-67AG 1295 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Public aircraft, Part 91 - Operator: US Dept of the Interior, doing business as Bureau of Land Management - Registered owner: Minuteman Aerial Application, INC - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, March 1, 2007, 36 hours before - Departed: WMC, Winnemucca, NV - Flight plan: Company VFR - Airport: WMC, Winnemucca Muni ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 56; injuries: minor; flight instructor, airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, multi-engine sea, single-engine sea, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; last flight review March 1, 2007; seat: front; flight hours: 7,486 total, 6,948 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Dusk - Wind: 270° at 25 knots, gusting 35 - Visibility: 3 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 95 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 29.79 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20070717016039A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070717016039A), Jul 17, 2007: Airtrc AT802A, Winnemucca, NV, Destroyed. (-23) Tanker 458, crashed while fire fighting in spaulding canyon 20 miles south of Winnemucca, NV. Aircraft was destroyed. The pilot was interviewed by the… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.