Air Tractor AT-402B accident near Eldorado, Texas, July 7, 2007
On July 7, 2007 at about 1:20 am local time, a Air Tractor AT-402B, registered N712GS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eldorado, Texas. 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 engine power as result of water contamination due to a faulty seal on the refuel tank port. A contributing factor was t he lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2007 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Eldorado, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-402B
- Registration
- N712GS · registry record · serial 402B-1186
- 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 30,000-hour commercial pilot reported that the turbine-powered agricultural airplane made a hard landing after experiencing a loss of engine power. The pilot added that he was performing the last aerial application flight of the day when the engine lost power. The pilot further stated that the tailwheel equipped airplane had been refueled from a 1,000 gallon fuel tank located at his property. He added that the fuel storage tank was contaminated with water due to the torrential rain experienced this season. The rain water entered the fuel storage tank through a worn-out seal on the tank's refueling port. The airplane came to rest on a rough and uneven clearing located about 3 miles from the point of departure. The landing gear separated from the aircraft upon landing and the fuselage sustained structural damage to the underside of the aircraft. The pilot was not injured during the mishap. A post accident examination of the airplane conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that water contamination was present in the aircraft's engine fuel filter.
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: 30,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 29,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-11AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Eldorado TX
- Destination: Eldorado TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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 DFW07CA151.