- Date
- August 15, 1991, 19:41 local (Aug 16, 1991, 01:41 UTC)
- Place
- Clovis, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4535KAir Tractor AT-502
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910815034569A
- Case key
- 18123
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain clearance from rising/uneven terrain. Factors related to the accident were: the light conditions at dusk, and the lack of visual cues for the pilot.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was flying his last swath run of the day at dusk. He said he didn't see a rise in the terrain at the end of the field and allowed the aircraft to strike a dirt berm. The aircraft engine immediately caught fire. He dumped his load of fertilizer/fungicides and landed the aircraft. The fire destroyed the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4535K
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 502-0104
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-34, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Gregory L. Kubin, doing business as Kubin Aerial, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Gregory L. Kubin
- Departed
- Q34 · Portales, NM
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 6,700 total · 560 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 135° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.