Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Calexico, California, November 9, 1996
On November 9, 1996 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N1014N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Calexico, California (Private Crop Duster Strip 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 premature lift-off from the runway and his failure to attain adequate airspeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 1996 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Calexico, California · Private Crop Duster Strip · 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
- N1014N · registry record · serial 401-0729
- 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 after liftoff, the aircraft settled back to the surface and the main landing gear contacted the far edge of an irrigation canal bank at the runway's departure end. The temperature was 88 degrees Fahrenheit at the time the accident occurred and the density altitude was computed to be 1,894 feet msl.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 22,200 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,567 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 3, 1996; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-2-201A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,550 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from KIP
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.