- Date
- August 27, 1985, 04:45 local (11:45 UTC)
- Place
- Williams Afb, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3168UAir Tractor AT301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850827057349A
- Case key
- 24821
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
After making his first swath run,during the hours of darkness,the pilot became disorented and flew into an area with tall electrical transmission lines. He descended into trees beneath the lines in his attempt to miss them.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3168U
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 301-0565
- Airframe hours
- 550
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Santan Dusters
- Registered owner
- Air Tractor, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 10, 1985
- Departed
- P10 · Chandler, AZ
- Airport
- CHD · Williams Afb
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 250 in this make and model · 6,000 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 180 in the last 30 days · 11 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHX, 17 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.