- 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.
On this page
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.
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.