Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Caledonia, Mississippi, September 13, 1999
On September 13, 1999 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N45205, was substantially damaged in an accident near Caledonia, Mississippi. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the fuel control gear train due to oil contamination. A factor was Inadequate maintenance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1999 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Caledonia, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-401
- Registration
- N45205 · no longer on the register · serial 401-0756
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was spraying chemicals on a cotton field at an altitude of 300 ft. An hour and a half into the flight, he entered a right turn and the engine lost power. During the initiated forced landing, the right wing collided with a tree. The airplane spun to the right, colliding with the ground nose first, bounced several times, then came to rest. Post-examination of the engine revealed that there was an interruption of the direct drive fuel control (DDFC) gear-train due to a loss of mechanical contact between the teeth of the second and third DDFC gears. The cause for the interference was believed to have been due to excessive loading of the forward gear teeth of the third DDFC gear resulting in loss of material from the third DDFC gear. No assembly, dimensional or material defects were identified which would contribute to excessive loading or interference between the second and third DDFC gears.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 15,030 hours in all; 5,600 in this make and model; 387 in the last 90 days; 102 in the last 30 days; 15,030 as pilot in command; 70 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 19, 1999; 193 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-201A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GTR Columbus MS at 11:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 14,000 ft; scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from CBM, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.