# Accident 20050714022829A: Airtrc AT301, Langdon, ND, July 14, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 14, 2005, 21:35 local time
- Place: Langdon, ND
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: O2BG
- Location: 48.7867° N, 98.3567° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.7867&lon=-98.3567&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3159N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3159N-2015-05-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-301 (registry code 0390103, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-301) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 series (registry code 52016, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT301
- Reported engine: PWA R1340*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI05LA188](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI05LA188) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050714022829A

## Narrative

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

(-23) WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED THE LAST SWATH RUN AFTER APPLYING CHEMICAL TO A FIELD OF CANOLA. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED BEYOND THE END OF THE FIELD TO WHICH THE CHEMICAL HAD BEEN APPLIED FOR ANOTHER 1/2 ILE. AT THAT POINT A WITNESS SAID THE AIRCRAFT DID AN ABRUPT PULL UP TO AN UNUSUALLY HIGH NOSE ATTITUDE, NEVER EXCEEDED 200 FEET ALTITUDE ABOVE THE GROUND AND ABRUPTLY PITCHED TO THE RIGHT AND ENTERED AN UNUSUALLY NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN OBSCURED FROM VIEW BY INTERVENING LOW RIDGES. ONE WITNESS REPORTED HEARING TWO LOUD NOISES IN QUICK SUCCESSION. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 80 DEGREES. THE WINGS WERE NEARLY LEVEL WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND WITH THE RIGHT WING STRIKING THE GROUND FIRST. EVIDENCE OF A STALL/SPIN ACCIDENT WAS DISPLAYED FROM THE GROUND IMPACT SIGNS. THE ENGINE WAS BURIED TO A DEPTH OF NEARLY 4 FEET. THE LEFT WING FLAP WAS DOWN TO FULL AT ABOUT 30 DEGREES, BUT THE RIGHT WING FLAP WAS UP. THIS, LATER, WAS DISCOVERED TO BE A FAILURE OF BRACKETS ON THE LEFT FLAP SINCE ALL THE DRIVE LINKAGE WAS IN THE FLAP UP POSITION. THE PILOT SUCCUMBED TO HIS INJURIES 8 HOURS LATER IN A HOSPITAL. NO FIRE ENSUED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED.

## 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 CHI05LA188](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI05LA188), Jul 15, 2005: Air Tractor AT-301 (N3159N), Langdon, ND, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the terrain while attempting an abrupt turning maneuver at a low altitude.

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.

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