# Accident 19790716016439A: Airtrc AT301, Mendota, CA, July 16, 1979

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 16, 1979, 15:00 local time
- Place: Mendota, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 36.7576° N, 120.3805° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Mendota, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.7576&lon=-120.3805&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8578S, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8578S-1999-07-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-301 (registry code 0390103, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-301) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT301
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 7,344 total, 391 in this make and model, 270 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX79DVA48](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX79DVA48) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19790716016439A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DRAGGED WING TIP IN COTTON FIELD TURNING FINAL FOR AG. STRIP. POSSIBLE DOWN DRAFT FACTOR, PILOT ERROR.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX79DVA48](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX79DVA48), Jul 16, 1979: Air Tractor AT-301 (N8578S), Mendota, CA, substantial damage

## Other reports on N8578S (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19890913034869A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890913034869A), Sep 13, 1989: Airtrc AT301 (N8578S), Mendota, CA, Substantial damage. Mushed into ground in a highway median while maneuvering for a spray run. Stall warning wires not connected.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.