Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Plains, Georgia, September 16, 1995
On September 16, 1995 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N2362D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plains, Georgia. 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
Failure of the number four cylinder rocker arm housing and pin, which resulted in a closed exhaust valve and loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1995 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Plains, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N2362D · no longer on the register · serial 0404
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the first spray run of an aerial application flight, the engine lost power. Subsequently, the aircraft nosed over during a forced landing and was damaged. An examination of the engine revealed that the number four cylinder rocker arm housing had fractured. The fracture surface had a rough, granular, and irregular appearance, typical of overload failure. There was evidence that when the rocker arm housing became separated from the cylinder, the rocker arm pin failed, allowing the rocker arm to separate from the cylinder and resulting in a loss of continuity to the exhaust valve. The exhaust valve then remained closed, and the engine lost power.
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: 10,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,731 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 22, 1995; 299 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 3:11 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:06 pm from AJC, 15 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.
Other NTSB records under N2362D 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.