Air Tractor AT-301 N3653T

Summary

On 2 April 2010 at about 15:20 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N3653T, operated by Aerial Farm Service, was involved in an accident near Malden, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 April 2010 at 15:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Malden, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

36.5983, -89.9925

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N3653T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Aerial Farm Service

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gideon → Gideon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10CA185

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree during an aerial application flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane encountered a downdraft after completing an aerial application pass. While climbing away from the field, the airplane’s right wing impacted a tree and the pilot performed an off-field landing instead of returning to the departure airport. The main landing gear collapsed during the landing in a rough field. A postimpact fire ensued on the right wing after the airplane came to rest. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.