Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Americus, Georgia, June 29, 1989
On June 29, 1989 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N8773S, was destroyed in an accident near Americus, Georgia. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY SURVEY THE AREA IN WHICH HE WOULD BE CONDUCTING AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHTS AND HIS FAILURE TO SEE AND AVOID POWERLINES WHILE PERFORMING AERIAL APPLICATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 1989 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Americus, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N8773S · no longer on the register · serial 301-0189
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS AT THE START OF A SWATH RUN TO SPRAY A PEANUT FIELD AND CONTACTED THE LOWER THREE WIRES OF POWER LINES. PART OF THE LEFT WING TIP WAS SEVERED AND THE ACFT MADE INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 450 FEET FROM THE POWER LINES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO INDICATION OF A SYSTEM OR MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. AUTOPSY/TOXICOLOGY RESULTS WERE NEGATIVE FOR ALCOHOL, DRUGS, CYANIDE AND OTHER COMPOUNDS.
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: 5,000 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 4,550 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,921 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1989; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ACJ Americus GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.