- Date
- August 25, 1983, 14:50 local (19:50 UTC)
- Place
- El Campo, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4369SAir Tractor AT301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830825049179A
- Case key
- 21026
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft collided with a berm dam during takeoff and cartwheeled into a rice field. The acft carried heavier fertilizer on this particular takeoff and with increasing air temperatures, the plt knew he was not going to make it and dumped the load. The dump gate was small and before the load jettison could be effective the landing gear hit a dirt bank which tripped the acft into nosing down. The plt said that the wind also shifted during the takeoff.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4369S
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0049
- Airframe hours
- 2,847
- Engine
- P&W R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Coastal Flying Service Inc.
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1983
- Airport
- 6T8 · Norris Raun, runway 17, 2,630 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 17,500 total · 350 in this make and model · 17,370 as pilot in command · 165 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4369S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.