Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Jerome, Idaho, May 27, 1999
On May 27, 1999 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N6024M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jerome, Idaho. 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
Fuel exhaustion. Carburetor contamination and rough terrain were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 1999 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jerome, Idaho · 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
- N6024M · no longer on the register · serial 401-0949
- 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 departed the airport, with approximately 75 gallons of fuel on board, and flew approximately 19 miles to the spray location. Approximately 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot noticed the fuel quantity gauge indication was decreasing at a higher than normal rate, and he elected to return to the airport. Eight miles from the airport, the aircraft began to lose power and the pilot elected to initiate a forced landing in an open field. During the landing roll, the aircraft struck a lava bed, causing substantial damage to the aircraft. An FAA inspector inspected the aircraft and reported that there was no evidence of fuel in the aircraft's fuel tanks. He also stated there was no evidence of a preexisting fuel leak. Post-accident inspection of the aircraft's carburetor revealed that the mixture control back-suction bleed tube in the carburetor bowl assembly was plugged. According to the certificate holder of the carburetor, a blockage of the mixture control back-suction bleed tube would result in a rich mixture situation. Normal fuel consumption for this aircraft is 32 gallons to 35 gallons per hour.
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
- Flight time: 3,450 hours in all; 525 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,790 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1999; 289 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,860 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U73 Jerome ID at 1:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from JER, 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 N6024M 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.