Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Mcgehee, Arkansas, August 2, 1994
On August 2, 1994, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N45297, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mcgehee, Arkansas. It was a ferry 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
TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AS THE ENGINE SEIZED DUE TO A BLOWER BEARING FAILURE. 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
- August 2, 1994
- Place
- Mcgehee, Arkansas · 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
- N45297 · no longer on the register · serial 401-0760
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AERIAL APPLICATION WORK WAS COMPLETED AT ONE LOCATION. THE AIRPLANE WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 700 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND TO ANOTHER LOCATION, WHEN A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER OCCURRED. AN EMERGENCY DESCENT AND APPROACH WAS MADE TO A COTTON TURN ROW. DURING THE LANDING ROLL ON THE ROUGH TURN ROW, THE AIRPLANE GROUND LOOPED. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE FAILURE OF A BEARING IN THE BLOWER SECTION CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SEIZE.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 4,900 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Kelso AR at 11:45 pm
- Destination: NONE Jerome AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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 N45297 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.