Air Tractor 301A accident near Marks, Mississippi, August 30, 1982
On August 30, 1982 at about 2:40 pm local time, a Air Tractor 301A, registered N8823S, was destroyed in an accident near Marks, Mississippi. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1982 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Marks, Mississippi
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 301A
- Registration
- N8823S · registry record · serial 197
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH GUY WIRE WHILE SPRAYING CHEMICALS, AIRCRAFT WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND CRASHED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 1,640 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,640 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P & W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mothershead Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Marks MS at 9:30 am
- Destination: Marks MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 185°F (85°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N8823S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.