- Date
- July 21, 1988, 20:45 local (Jul 22, 1988, 03:45 UTC)
- Place
- Niland, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8719SAir Tractor AT-301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880721027799A
- Case key
- 25733
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
Just after takeoff, the pilot made a right turn to locate the ground flaggers and to avoid transmission wires. The pilot, unable to locate the flaggers, initiated a climb to avoid wires and rising terrain. However, the airplane did not gain sufficient altitude and collided with the wires and, subsequently, the terrain. There were no reported mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8719S
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 301-0178
- Airframe hours
- 4,665
- Engine
- P&W R-340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Valair Company, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 28, 1988 · 73 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
- 42
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 8,373 total · 3,967 in this make and model · 8,218 as pilot in command · 71 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 95 °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 N8719S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.