Accident Details
On May 5, 2014, at about 0900 central daylight time, an Air Tractor 301, registration N7309Z, experienced a loss of engine power while approaching a rice field intended for aerial spraying. The pilot executed a forced landing onto a rice levee in Hessmer, Louisiana. During the landing, the main landing gear contacted a soft spot, causing the aircraft to veer off the road and into the field, where it flipped inverted. The accident resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and left wing. The three-bladed propeller sustained damage to two blades. The engine mounts and firewall were not damaged, and no obvious damage to the engine was observed. The pilot was not injured.
Aircraft and Operator
The aircraft was an Air Tractor 301, registered to Pro-Air, LLC, of Hamburg, Louisiana. The commercial pilot was operating under 14 Federal Aviation Regulations Part 137 for a local aerial spraying flight. The flight departed at about 0853 from a private airstrip located in Hessmer, Louisiana. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
Investigation
The pilot reported that the radial engine lost power and suspected a blower failure. However, the blower was not accessible for examination. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintenance inspector reviewed the aircraft's maintenance logbooks and found no discrepancies. The insurance company declared the aircraft a total loss, and no further examination of the engine was conducted. Consequently, the reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.