Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Clewiston, Florida, August 29, 1997
On August 29, 1997 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N7307C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clewiston, Florida. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The crack in the #8 cylinder head which led to the loss of power. A factor was the soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1997 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Clewiston, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N7307C · no longer on the register · serial 301-0616
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on an aerial application flight, the pilot reported that the engine started shaking. The airplane was soon unable to maintain altitude, so the pilot attempted a forced landing in a soft field. After touching down, the airplane sank into the soft field, and it nosed over. According to the FAA inspector, the engine had a crack in the #8 cylinder head which led to the loss of 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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,215 hours in all; 2,110 in this make and model; 242 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 8,980 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,473 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 22, 1997; 72 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
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PBI, 60 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.