No fatalities

6 Jul 2010: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-301 — S & E MADER INC — Garfield, WA

Garfield, WA, United States

On 6 Jul 2010, an AIR TRACTOR INC AT-301 operated by S & E MADER INC was involved in an aviation accident near Garfield, WA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported running out of fuel while crop spraying, resulting in a forced landing that caused the engine to separate from the airframe and break in half, with substantial damage to the fuselage and wing.

Incident Overview

A pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration that he ran out of fuel while spraying crops. Subsequently, he initiated a forced landing into a field. According to the pilot's account, the landing was hard, causing the engine to separate from the airframe and break in half. The fuselage and wing of the airplane sustained substantial damage.

Pilot Communication

Despite numerous attempts to contact the pilot by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge, the pilot had not responded or submitted a completed NTSB pilot/operator 6120.1 form as of the time the report was written.

Aircraft Damage

The forced landing resulted in the airplane's fuselage and wing being substantially damaged. The engine separated from the airframe during the landing and subsequently broke in half.

Investigation Status

The NTSB investigation is ongoing, with the key challenge being the lack of communication from the pilot. The incomplete reporting hampers the ability to gather further details about the incident.

Contributing factors

PilotFluid level