- Date
- March 6, 1990, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rolling Fork, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N23509Air Tractor AT-301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900306005669A
- Case key
- 32634
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 in-flight separation of the left aileron due to improper maintenance procedures and an inadequate aircraft preflight.
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
While on short final, the plt was unable to control the acft about the longitudinal axis. The bank continued until the acft impacted the ground & came to rest inverted. Exam of the acft revealed that the left aileron separated upward in-flt. The three bolts & self locking nuts used to secure it were not located. There was no damage to the aileron attach arms under the wing nor was there damage to the aileron's attach pionts. The aileron push-pull rod was examined & was found to have failed due to over load. An annual inspn was performed 5 days earlier, but the aileron was not removed. The acft logbook did not contain an entry indicating that the aileron was removed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23509
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 301-0391
- Airframe hours
- 4,851
- Engine
- P&W R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Nicks Flying Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Nicks Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1990
- Destination
- 2
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 4,336 total · 2,113 in this make and model · 4,282 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 12 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GWO, 51 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.