Air Tractor AT-400 accident near South Mills, North Carolina, February 5, 1993
On February 5, 1993 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-400, registered N36521, was substantially damaged in an accident near South Mills, North Carolina. 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 PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FROM TREES DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION MANEUVER. FACTORS WERE THE TREES ADJACENT TO THE WHEAT FIELD, AND THE SOFT TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 5, 1993 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- South Mills, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-400
- Registration
- N36521 · no longer on the register · serial 400-0246
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS SPRAYING HERBICIDES ON A WHEAT FIELD. AT THE END OF A SPRAY PASS, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE TOPS OF SOME PINE TREES. THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT IN AN OPEN FIELD, AND IT NOSED OVER IN SOFT MUD. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THAT THE ACCIDENT WAS HIS OWN MISTAKE. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED IN OVER 4 YEARS, THE PILOT HAD NOT COMPLETED A BIENNIAL FLIGHT REVIEW IN OVER 6 YEARS, AND THE PILOT HAD NOT RECEIVED AN FAA MEDICAL CERTIFICATE IN OVER 3 YEARS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 3,900 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hudson Air Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Elizabeth City NC at 4:15 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 30,000 ft; not recorded at 30,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from ECG, 13 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.
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.