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| Date: | Tuesday 10 September 2024 |
| Time: | 08:43 |
| Type: |  Air Tractor AT-802 |
| Owner/operator: | Miles Flying Service Inc |
| Registration: | N802JF |
| MSN: | 802-0623 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2015 |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Hickory Valley, TN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | William L Whitehurst Field Airport, TN (M08) |
| William L Whitehurst Field Airport, TN (M08) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On September 10, 2024, about 0843 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-802, N802JF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hickory Valley, Tennessee. The airline transport pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight.
The pilot reported that he departed his base airport to spray fields about 6 miles to the southwest. He had made multiple passes over the target fields when he noticed the fuel flow was lower than he had set. He pushed the power lever forward to increase power and the engine began to lose power. The pilot then pushed the power and condition levers to the forward stops in an attempt to regain power, but the engine continued to “roll back.” He jettisoned the aerial application payload in the hopper and initiated a forced landing. The airplane impacted a hay field and bounced on a slight uphill section before coming to rest.
Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector found substantial damage to the engine mounts and fuselage. The FAA inspector was able to confirm continuity of controls from the flight controls in the cockpit to the respective flight control surfaces. He was also able to establish continuity of the throttle control from the control in the cockpit to the actuator on the fuel control unit, which moved from stop to stop.
The pilot reported that he departed with about 88 gallons of Jet-A aviation fuel in each of the wing tanks and that he had been using the same supply of fuel for the previous day’s operations. He also reported that the fuel was sumped the morning of the accident flight and no contamination was noted.
Review of data downloaded from the engine indicating system showed that about 26 minutes after the recording began and about 10 minutes after takeoff, the fuel flow began to drop. It dropped from about 82 gallons per hour to about 11 gallons per hour over 24 seconds. The torque, propeller RPM, and gas generator speed all began to drop coincident with the decreased fuel flow until the end of the data.
The airplane was retained for further examination.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 6 September 2016 | N519EP | Empty Pockets Flying Service | 0 | Wilson, AR | |
sub |
| Collision with pole or wires | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Sep-2024 15:34 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 22-Sep-2024 14:06 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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