Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Ripley, California, July 13, 2000
On July 13, 2000 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N4508Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ripley, California. 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
A loss of engine power due to the separation of a connecting rod from the crankshaft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 2000 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Ripley, California · 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
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A partial loss of engine power was experienced during an aerial application flight. During the pilot's attempted forced landing in a cotton field, the airplane collided with a dirt berm and nosed over. An examination of the engine revealed that the connecting rod associated with the No. 7 cylinder had separated from the crankshaft. The connecting rod pieces were severely peened and damaged, and the mode of separation could not be determined. No other evidence of any preexisting failures or malfunctions was noted. The airplane engine's total time was 5,267 hours. It had been operated for 475 hours since receiving its last major overhaul.
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: 4,006 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 3,896 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,267 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 9, 2000; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,860 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Farmers Aerial Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BLH Blythe CA at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 196°F (91°C), dew point 102°F (39°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from BLH, 8 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.
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.