# NTSB SEA04CA132: Air Tractor AT-301, N23811, Waitsburg, WA, July 12, 2004

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report
- Date: July 12, 2004, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place: Waitsburg, WA
- Coordinates: 46.25, -118.14389
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=46.2500&lon=-118.1439&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 1 uninjured
- Status: Completed, report September 29, 2004
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- Parties: FAA-FSDO
- NTSB case key (mKey): 59631
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA04CA132
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59631/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA04CA132

## Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control and his inadequate compensation for the wind conditions during the landing.  Gusts and high vegetation were factors.

## Sequence of events

In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf).

- Loss of control - in flight, landing - flare/touchdown
  - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause)
  - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor)
  - aircraft control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause)
- On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll
  - terrain condition - high vegetation

## Analysis

The pilot reported that while landing at an airstrip, and flaring to a three point landing, a gust of wind or "dust-devil" pushed the aircraft to the left side of the airstrip.  The pilot reported that it happened so fast that he was unable to make a correction before the spray boom caught on the bordering wheat.  The airplane veered to the left and spun around approximately 180 degrees before coming to rest on the side of the strip in the wheat field.

## Factual narrative

On July 12, 2004, about 1100 Pacific daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-301, N23811, registered to a private individual and operated by Red Baron Aviation as a 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight, collided with vegetation during the landing at an airstrip near Waitsburg, Washington, and subsequently ground looped.  Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight.  The aircraft was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured.

The pilot reported that while landing at an airstrip, and flaring to a three point landing, a gust of wind or "dust-devil" pushed the aircraft to the left side of the airstrip.  The pilot reported that it happened so fast that he was unable to make a correction before the spray boom caught on the bordering wheat.  The airplane veered to the left and spun around approximately 180 degrees before coming to rest on the side of the strip in the wheat field.

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N23811](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N23811-2019-10-04), registration cancelled 2019-10-04, S/N 301-0432, built 1982 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: Air Tractor Inc. AT-301
- Registry model: [Air Tractor AT-301](https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-301) (registry code 0390103) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney R1340 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (registry code 52016, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 301-0432
- Engines: Pratt & Whitney R1340 reciprocating
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Aerial application, Part 137
- Registered owner: Dennis Buddrius
- Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed: Waitsburg, WA

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 49; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2; flight hours: 9,078 total, 217 in this make and model, 170 in the last 90 days, 50 in the last 30 days

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20040712015929A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040712015929A), Jul 12, 2004: Airtrc AT301, Waitsburg, WA, Substantial damage. (-23) During landing, a dust devil pushed the aircraft to the left side of the runway. The left spray boom contacted the wheat alongside the runway, causing…

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.