Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Newellton, LA
On October 8, 1998, an Air Tractor AT-401 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Newellton, LA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 8, 1998
- Place
- Newellton, LA
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-401 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.070°N, 91.230°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X11251
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT: On October 8, 1998, at 0820 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-401 agricultural airplane, N4531M, was destroyed while maneuvering near Newellton, Louisiana. The non-instrument rated commercial pilot, who was the only person aboard the airplane, received fatal injuries. The airplane was owned and operated by Kifer Flying Service, Inc., of Newellton, Louisiana, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 137. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area of the aerial application flight for which a company flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Newellton, Louisiana, approximately 5 minutes prior to the accident. During personal interviews, conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), local authorities and company pilots reported that the day before the accident a front moved through the area producing several inches of rain, high humidity, and winds. The morning of the accident, the weather was the coolest morning for the season. Humidity remained high from the previous day's rain and the area was clear until about 0800. Between 0800 and 0820, a heavy fog bank moved rapidly into the area. On the morning of the accident, the pilot began his day at 0700 to spray 130 acres of cotton with an insecticide (Cheminova Methyl 4EC with Methyl Parathion as the main active ingredient)). After performing the preflight and fueling the aircraft, the pilot departed the Newellton Municipal Airport at approximately 0715 with the first hopper load (340 gallon mixture of water and the Methyl Parathion chemical). At approximately 0
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during an inadvertent entry into adverse weather conditions. A related factor was the fog.
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Browse: Louisiana · Air Tractor aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
