Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Dermott, Arkansas, July 15, 1993
On July 15, 1993 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N1009T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dermott, Arkansas. 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
POWER LOSS DUE TO THE TOTAL FAILURE OF THE ENGINE'S MASTER ROD. FACTORS WERE AN IMPROPER ENGINE OVERHAUL AND THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 1993 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dermott, Arkansas
- 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
- N1009T · no longer on the register · serial 401-0707
- 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 HAD JUST FINISHED APPLYING FERTILIZER TO A RICE FIELD AND WAS BANKING TO RETURN TO HIS AIRSTRIP WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE TO A FLOODED RICE FIELD. WHEN THE WHEELS TOUCHED, THE AIRPLANE SANK INTO THE WATER AND SOFT GROUND AND NOSED OVER. POST-ACCIDENT ENGINE DISASSEMBLY REVEALED EVIDENCE OF A PRE-EXISTING CRACK AND SUBSEQUENT TOTAL FAILURE OF THE MASTER ROD. AN ENGINE OVERHAUL WAS COMPLETED TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,794 hours in all; 2,964 in this make and model; 273 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 11,630 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,639 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 11, 1992; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Mcgehee AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from PBF, 49 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.
Other NTSB records under N1009T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.