Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Finley, TN
On June 19, 2001, an Air Tractor AT-301 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Finley, TN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 19, 2001
- Place
- Finley, TN
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.980°N, 89.580°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010619X01206
NTSB summary
On June 18, 2001, about 2025 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-301, N23672, registered to H and H Flying Service, operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight, crashed while in the landing pattern in the vicinity of Finley, Tennessee. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed and the commercially rated pilot, the sole occupant received fatal injuries. The flight originated at 1835. According to the field unit supervisor at H and H Flying Service and an eyewitness to the accident, the aircraft first appeared approaching the landing strip from a northwesterly direction, and that was puzzling since the last field sprayed was to the southeast of the landing strip. The aircraft next proceeded in a southerly direction at about 350 feet agl, turned an upwind crossleg to the west, turned south into a downwind leg, apparently setting up for a landing in a northerly direction, when, "... he observed the aircraft go almost straight up, roll right, and come down nose first into the ground." Three additional eyewitness statements generally corroborate the first statement, and are included in the FAA inspector's report. The four statements do differ in what direction the aircraft was observed banking as the pitch changed from nose up to nose down. Two statements said it rolled right, and two statements said it rolled left. All witnesses stated that the engine sounded steady and smooth throughout the maneuvering, and that once the nose was pointed upward, there was no addition of power noted. The field unit
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to maintain aircraft altitude control while on downwind leg of the landing pattern, resulting in an uncontrolled descent and in-flight collision with the terrain.
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Browse: Tennessee · Air Tractor aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
