- Date
- February 17, 1998, 17:34 local (Feb 18, 1998, 01:34 UTC)
- Place
- Wasco, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3656CAir Tractor AT-301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 12, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980217001319A
- Case key
- 30035
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 overboosting the engine on takeoff which resulted in a cracked cylinder and subsequent loss of engine power.
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 pilot heard a loud bang and felt a strong engine vibration after takeoff and crashed during the attempt to return to the runway. The number two cylinder was found cracked between the two spark plug portholes. The owner/operator reported that cracked cylinders are typical on these engines, usually due to the pilot overboosting the engine on takeoff. He stated that the pilot had cracked a cylinder on the accident aircraft on five previous occasions, as well as on other aircraft. The owner further stated that he trains all his pilots in emergency procedures. The pilot of the aircraft did not respond to requests for the accident report and no longer works for the operator.
Factual narrative
On February 17, 1998, at 1734 hours Pacific standard time, an Air Tractor AT-301, N3656C, lost power during the takeoff initial climb and collided with the ground during an attempted return to the runway at the Wasco, California, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The local area aerial application flight was originating at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that at rotation from runway 30, he heard a loud bang followed by a strong engine vibration. He initiated a left turn in an attempt to return to the runway and saw a puff of smoke and a flash of flame emitting from the engine. The engine then quit completely. The pilot reported that the aircraft impacted the ground before he was able to return to the runway. The landing gear separated from the aircraft, the aircraft nosed over, and came to rest inverted.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector from the Fresno, California, Flight Standards District Office, conducted an on-site examination of the aircraft. He reported that the number two cylinder was cracked between the aft spark plug porthole to the forward spark plug porthole. The engine had approximately 559 hours since the last major overhaul.
The aircraft owner/operator reported that a cracked cylinder was typical on the R1340 series engines, usually due to the pilot overboosting the engine on takeoff. He stated that the pilot had cracked a cylinder on the accident aircraft on five previous occasions, as well as on other aircraft. The owner stated that normally they would just replace the cylinder. He further reported that he rigorously trains all his pilots in emergency procedures.
The pilot of the aircraft did not respond to the Safety Board's requests for the pilot/operator report. The pilot no longer works for the owner.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3656C
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 301-0304
- Airframe hours
- 7,454
- Engine
- P&W R1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Delbert Williams
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1997 · 48 hours before
- Airport
- L19 · Wasco, runway 30, 3,380 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 13,900 total · 1,957 in this make and model · 86 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BFL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.