Air Tractor AT-401 accident near San Angelo, Texas, May 19, 2004
On May 19, 2004 at about 11:45 am local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N4508Y, was destroyed in an accident near San Angelo, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the soft terrain encountered during the aborted takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2004 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- San Angelo, 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-401
- Registration
- N4508Y · no longer on the register · serial 401-0751
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During takeoff for an aerial application flight, the engine gradually lost power. The pilot aborted the takeoff, and the airplane veered into a soft wheat field. Examination of the airplane revealed fuel was observed at the fuel pump, the throttle and mixture linkages were intact, and engine continuity was established by rotating the propeller through by hand. Examination of the carburetor revealed the top housing flange was bent which resulted in an air leak. The cotter key was missing from the economizer stud and the stud was adjusted too a full rich setting at some time between the overhaul and the accident. The fuel inlet screen, float bowl, and inlet needle were free and clear of contaminants. The reason for the loss of engine power was not 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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 7,609 hours in all; 1,784 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 2, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,880 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 15, 2004; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,860 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: San Angelo TX at 11:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,880 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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 N4508Y 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.