Air Tractor 301 accident near Finley, Tennessee, March 12, 1999
On March 12, 1999 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor 301, registered N36484, was substantially damaged in an accident near Finley, Tennessee. 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 pilot's inadequate compensation for wind and his failure to maintain directional control. A factor was the gusting winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 1999 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Finley, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 301
- Registration
- N36484 · no longer on the register · serial 301-0232
- 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 takeoff roll on Highway 181, the airplane encountered a gust of wind which blew the airplane off the asphalt surface. The airplane proceeded down an embankment and came to rest inverted. Skid marks from the airplane were apparent crossing the roadway and down the embankment. No mechanical malfunctions or failures were reported by the pilot or Federal Aviation Administration Inspector who examined the wreckage.
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: 5,610 hours in all; 3,324 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 5,510 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,333 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1999; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 16 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from MKL
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 N36484 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.