Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Winnsboro, Louisiana, July 10, 2004
On July 10, 2004 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N10061, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winnsboro, Louisiana (Winnsboro Municipal Airport). 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 pilot's mismanagement of fuel resulting in fuel starvation. A contributing factor was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2004 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Winnsboro, Louisiana · Winnsboro 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-401
- Registration
- N10061 · no longer on the register · serial 401-0696
- 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 9,155-hour pilot stated that after he had finished an aerial application of insecticide in a field approximately 5 miles away from the airport, he pulled up and out and turned 180 degrees to the right to return to the airport. At an altitude of approximately 100 to 200 feet above the ground, the engine lost power. The pilot further stated that, due to the low altitude, he could not turn much in either direction. Subsequently, the pilot initiated a forced landing into a bean field, and struck a drainage canal. Examination of the fuel system revealed no fuel in the right wing tank. The pilot reported that he had been making all of his turns to the left, and that the fuel had transferred from the right fuel cell into the left fuel cell.
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: 9,155 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 8,960 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 16, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,080 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 2004; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F89 Winnsboro LA
- Destination: F89 Winnsboro LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MLU, 28 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.