SEA94LA200

NTSB accident investigation · Air Tractor AT-301 · Connell, WA · July 29, 1994

Accident · FatalLimited investigationFinal report
Date
July 29, 1994, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
Place
Connell, WA
Injuries
1 fatal
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Maneuvering
Aircraft
N3649YAir Tractor AT-301
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report June 29, 1995
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19940729048549A
Case key
41990

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while conducting aerial application activities.

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.

Loss of control - in flightManeuvering - aerial application
Airspeed - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Stall - inadvertentPilot in command
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled

Analysis

The FAA inspector who went on site stated that the aircraft had impacted straight into the ground in an open field while engaged in aerial application activities. No mechanical discrepancies were found, and there was no evidence of a wire strike or impact with an object.

Factual narrative

On July 29, 1994, approximately 1330 Pacific daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-301, N3649Y, was destroyed while engaged in aerial application activities near Connell, Washington. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. No flight plan was filed for the flight, which was conducted in visual meteorological conditions. No ELT was installed in the aircraft.

An FAA inspector who went to the scene of the accident stated that the aircraft had gone straight into the ground. He stated that he found no evidence of mechanical discrepancies, and that the pilot was apparently maneuvering while engaged in spraying activities at the time of the accident. No evidence of a wire strike or impact with an object on the surface was found.

Toxicological testing was conducted by the FAA, with negative results for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol and drugs. An autopsy was performed in Pasco, Washington, by Dr. Homer Harris, at the Bruce Lee Funeral Home, with the cause of death listed as traumatic injuries to the head and neck with positional asphyxia.

Aircraft

Registration
N3649Y
Reported as
Air Tractor AT-301
Category
Airplane
Serial number
301-0248
Engine
P&W R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Destroyed
Fire
On-Ground
Flight
Aerial application · Part 137
Registered owner
Allison Agricultural Avn, Inc
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Restricted (Special)
Departed
WA

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
44
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Front
Toxicology
Performed
Flight hours
1,100 total

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Lowest ceiling
None

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.