Air Tractor AT-401 incident near Winnie, Texas, August 19, 2005
On August 19, 2005 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N4545W, suffered minor damage in an incident near Winnie, Texas (Winnie/Stowell Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 loss of engine power due to the failure of the second-stage turbine wheel as a result of low cycle fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 2005 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Winnie, Texas · Winnie/Stowell Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-401
- Registration
- N4545W · no longer on the register · serial 401-0790
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 18,950-hour commercial pilot reported that that shortly after departure the "engine blew" and he executed a forced landing to a field, and the airplane received minor damage. Examination of the turbine engine revealed that it had experienced an uncontained separation of the second-stage turbine disk as a result of low cycle fatigue. No evidence of deep scratches or gouges were observed on the bore surface or on the forward and aft face of the disk. A review of maintenance records revealed that the engine had been previously installed on an aircraft that was registered in a foreign country, and the maintenance records were not complete. When the operator purchased this engine, he informed the facility that performed his engine maintenance that the second-stage turbine rotor was installed on the engine in 1992 with a total of 730 cycles. The maintenance facility then produced a new life-limit card for the second stage turbine disk. Based on this data, the disk had accrued a total of approximately 1,738 cycles at the time it failed. The rotor had an FAA approved life-limit of 5,400 cycles. However, according to the production records from the manufacturer of the engine, the second-stage turbine rotor had originally been shipped with zero hours and cycles in another, new production engine on January 24, 1973, making the part 33 years old.
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: 18,950 hours in all
- Last flight review: January 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 7,860 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-2-201 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T90 Winnie TX at 3:55 pm
- Destination: ARM Wharton TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from BOT, 23 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.