# Accident 20080726841659A: Airtrc AT301, Ambia, IN, July 26, 2008

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 26, 2008, 19:00 local time
- Place: Ambia, IN
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: XO9G
- Location: 40.4842° N, 87.5022° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.4842&lon=-87.5022&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3169R, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3169R-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
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 280 total, 75 in this make and model, 50 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI08CA223](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI08CA223) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080726841659A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE PILOT WAS INITIATING HIS SECOND PASS DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATION OVER A CORNFIELD.  AFTER SETTING-UP FOR AN EAST TO WEST RUN, HE FAILED TO ADEQUATELY ARREST THE AIRCRAFTS DESCENT RATE.  THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED CORNSTALKS CAUSING A PROGRESSIVE LOSS OF AIRSPEED WHICH LED TO EVENTUAL GROUND CONTACT.  THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN HE REALIZED THAT HIS AIRCRAFT WAS "IN THE CORN" HIS FOCUS WAS ON MAKING GROUND CONTACT IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE.  POWER WAS REDUCED PRIOR TO GROUND IMPACT.  THE PILOT SUSTAINED NO INJURY.  THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE IN A POST IMPACT FIRE.

## 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 CHI08CA223](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI08CA223), Jul 26, 2008: Air Tractor AT-301 (N3169R), Ambia, IN, substantial damage. Probable cause: The altitude/clearance not obtained/maintained by the pilot while maneuvering over an agricultural field during an aerial application. Contributing factors were the sunglare in the direction of…

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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