Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Slaton, Texas, July 20, 2007
On July 20, 2007 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502, registered N15400, was substantially damaged in an accident near Slaton, Texas (Slaton Municipal 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
An uncontained failure of the turbine engine's power section for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2007 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Slaton, Texas · Slaton Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Registration
- N15400 · no longer on the register · serial 502-0174
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner of the single-engine agricultural airplane stated that the gas turbine rotation speed (Ng) was adjusted "one click" prior to departure to increase the engine power from 96 percent to 100 percent (normal range is between 50 and 102 percent). Shortly after takeoff, at an altitude of approximately 150-feet above ground level (agl), the pilot noted that the Ng speed was still at 96 percent, so he turned back toward the airport. As the pilot was turning back to the airport, the engine lost power, and he was unable to maintain altitude. The pilot made a forced landing to a dirt road, impacted a stop sign, and continued over a highway and into an open field. The pilot added that the engine was still producing enough power for him to taxi the airplane out of the field and back onto the highway. External examination of the engine revealed there was a 5-inch-wide hole in the engine's compressor housing. The engine was then disassembled into two sections; the power section module and the gas generator module. Damage of the power section included torn and nicked compressor turbine blades (leading edge), excessive FOD damage to the hot section stator vanes, the power turbine shroud was bent, buckled, and torn with several bolts sheared out of their holes. The containment ring was split in half. The power turbine stator vanes were torn and deformed. The power turbine wheel had 10 sheared blades at or near the blade root, and several other blades were broken in half. The chip detector was removed and was filled with large metal chips. The oil filter was filled with a small amount of fine metallic particles. Examination of the gas generator revealed that the compressor bleed valve, fuel manifolds, compressor turbine stator assembly, accessory gear box assembly, impeller, compressor inlet case and compressor rotor in the gas generator case, and the compressor turbine blades exhibited no anomalies. A review of maintenance records revealed that the last 100-hour inspection performed on the engine was on April 27, 2007, at a Hobbs time of 5,892.9 hours. However, there was no record of the engine's last overhaul, no record of present engine total time/time since overhaul, and no record of engine removal from the aircraft. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
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: 14,152 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,892 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 9,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F49 Slaton TX at 2:30 pm
- Destination: PVW Plainview TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from LBB, 1 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 N15400 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.