Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Rayville, Louisiana, January 25, 2000
On January 25, 2000 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N91968, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rayville, Louisiana. 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
The loss of engine power due to a crack in the #6 cylinder. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2000 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Rayville, Louisiana · map
- 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
- N91968 · no longer on the register · serial 401-0942
- 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 airplane's engine was started and allowed to operate for 45 minutes due to the cold weather (temperature 36 degrees F). The pilot taxied the airplane out to the taxiway and performed engine run-up and magneto checks. All checks were 'okay,' and the airplane was taxied to the loading area where 325 gallons of chemical were loaded. The pilot taxied the airplane to the runway and performed another engine run-up. The magneto check was 'okay,' and the oil temperature was in the green. The pilot stated that he started the takeoff roll by 'power[ing] up' to 36 inches manifold pressure and 2,250 rpm. After liftoff from the runway, during a turn, at about 150 feet agl, the engine lost power. The pilot dumped the load of chemical and initiated a forced landing to a 'fresh rowed cotton field.' The airplane touched down perpendicular to the rows, and during the landing roll, the main landing gear 'sunk' into the soft ground, and the aircraft nosed over coming to rest inverted. An examination of the aircraft's engine by an FAA inspector revealed that 'the #6 cylinder had a preexisting crack.'
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: 6,317 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 6,256 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,517 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 25, 1999; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,860 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M79 at 4:19 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°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.
Other NTSB records under N91968 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.