Douglas B-26C accident near Hubbards Fork, Kentucky, March 5, 1983
On March 5, 1983 at about 10:58 pm local time, a Douglas B-26C, registered N4060A, was destroyed in an accident near Hubbards Fork, Kentucky. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. 1 person was killed. 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 1983 · about 10:58 pm local time
- Place
- Hubbards Fork, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas B-26C · all B-26Cs on the register
- Registration
- N4060A · registry record · serial 44-34102A
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & ACFT HAD BEEN FIGHTING FOREST FIRES EARLIER IN THE DAY. A LATE DEVELOPING FIRE NECESSITATED ANOTHER DISPATCH. THE ACFT ARRIVED ON SCENE & CHECKED IN WITH THE LEAD ACFT CIRCLING OVERHEAD COORDINATING THE FIRE FIGHTING EFFORTS. THE TANKER MADE 2 RUNS OVER THE FIRE AREA FOLLOWING THE LEAD ACFT. AFTER THE 2ND RUN, THE ACFT BANKED LEFT IN A LEVEL TURN TO MAKE ANOTHER RUN WITHOUT USING THE LEAD ACFT. DURING THE 3RD RUN THE TANKER STRUCK TREES NEAR THE TOP OF A 1800 FT RIDGELINE. WITNESSES ON THE GROUND REMARKED HOW LOW THE ACFT WAS. ACCORDING TO THE PLT'S PEERS, HE TOOK PRIDE IN DOING HIS JOB WELL & ALWAYS STROVE TO PUT THE CHEMICAL RIGHT ON TARGET. THERE HAD BEEN OCCASIONS IN THE PAST WHERE THIS ZEAL TO SUCCEED HAD RESULTED IN HIS GOING LOWER THAN THE 150 FT AGL MINIMUM ALTITUDE MANDATED BY FORESTRY SERVICE REGS. HE HAD, ON OCCASIONS, RETURNED TO BASE WITH TREE FOLIAGE STUCK IN HIS AIRCRAFT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,199 hours in all; 733 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 3,829 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,558 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 22, 1983; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 35,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-2800-79 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ashville NC
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 15,000 ft; scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from LOZ, 25 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL83FA127.