- Date
- July 2, 1990, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mission, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3653WAir Tractor AT-301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 22994
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
The pilot's failure to maintain proper clearance above the crops he was spraying. A factor was the tree induced mechanical turbulence encountered during the descending turn.
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
After spraying the field the pilot was 'cleaning up the end' and was flying on the lee side of trees when he felt the left wing drop. According to the pilot, either the landing gear or the left wing caught in the 3 1/2 foot tall grain, and he was unable to raise the wing. The airplane came to rest about 165 yards after initail terrain impact. The pilot felt that he encountered mechanical turbulence, causing the initial loss of control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3653W
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 301-0274
- Airframe hours
- 3,017
- Engine
- P&W R-1340 AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Putz Aero, Inc
- Registered owner
- Hopson Putz Dusting Svc, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 19, 1990 · 291 hours before
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 13,526 total · 4,065 in this make and model · 13,372 as pilot in command · 138 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 90 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg