Air Tractor INC AT-401 accident near Natchez, Louisiana, August 24, 2014
On August 24, 2014 at about 10:30 pm local time, a 1994 Air Tractor INC AT-401, registered N91968, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Natchez, Louisiana (Private Airstrip airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of power due to the failure of the No. 2 exhaust valve and rocker boss during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2014 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Natchez, Louisiana · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-401, built 1994 · all AT-401s on the register
- Registration
- N91968 · no longer on the register · serial 401-0942
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during climbout for an agricultural flight, about 75 feet above the runway, he heard a loud "pop," and the engine started to lose power. He dumped the 250 gallons of chemical that weighed about 2,000 pounds. The airplane continued to lose altitude, and the pilot executed a forced landing to a cotton field. A postimpact engine fire ensued, consuming the airplane. An examination of the engine revealed that the No. 2 cylinder exhaust rocker boss was cracked, which likely allowed oil to escape, which led to the loss of engine power and the subsequent fire.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during takeoff defining event
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 6,904 hours in all; 2,591 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 11, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,846 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 7,860 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-S3H1-G (piston); 11,534 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Red River Dusting INC
The flight
- Departed from: RRDI Natchez LA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: RRDI Natchez LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 am from IER, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N91968 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN14LA450.