Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Cash, Arkansas, June 15, 1996
On June 15, 1996, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N1004W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cash, Arkansas. 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 partial loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain available 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
- June 15, 1996
- Place
- Cash, 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
- N1004W · no longer on the register · serial 0687
- 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 pilot reported that he had 'been operating the aircraft all day with no problems.' The airplane had landed for another load and was topped off with 60 gallons of 100LL fuel. While on the takeoff roll, the engine lost partial power. The pilot said that he estimated the engine power loss to be at about 50 percent. He 'was on a half mile airstrip with no time or field length for a shut down. I began to dump the load and tried to get [the] aircraft off [the] ground.' The aircraft continued off the departure end of the runway and impacted a dirt bank which separated the landing gear from the aircraft. The airplane's engine was recently overhauled by an FAA certified repair station. The engine was removed from the airframe and test run at the repair station. According to the repair shop, the engine 'exhibited good oil pressures and was operated through all R.P.M./performance ranges and no abnormal characteristics were observed.' The owner's representative stated in a telephone interview with the investigator-in-charge that the power loss was the result of fuel contamination.
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: 2,391 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 2,332 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,229 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1996; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N1004W 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.