- Date
- August 15, 1989, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- New Cuyama, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4324SAir Tractor AT-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890815031789A
- Case key
- 26146
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 mismanagement of the fuel supply which led to an engine power loss due to fuel exhaustion and subsequent collision with the ground by allowing the aircraft to stall.
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 aircraft lost engine power, stalled, and collided with the ground during a return to a private air strip. Examination of the fuel system revealed no evidence of fuel in the aircraft or on the ground at the accident site. Disassembly of the carburetor revealed about seven ounces of fuel in the float chamber. According to specifications, 46 ounces of fuel would have been required to fill the chamber.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4324S
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 301-0004
- Engine
- P&W R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Robert Jackson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- New Cuyama, CA
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 15,000 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 12 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 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.