Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Grygla, Minnesota, June 30, 2001
On June 30, 2001, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N3656B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grygla, Minnesota (Private Airstrip airport). 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 not maintaining altitude/clearance from terrain on takeoff. A factor was the high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2001
- Place
- Grygla, Minnesota · Private Airstrip · 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
- N3656B · no longer on the register · serial 301-0303
- 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 aerial application airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain on initial climbout from a private airstrip. The pilot reported no injuries. The pilot's written statement indicated, "Took of[f] with a light load NW wind at 3-5 mph. Temp at 82[degrees.] After take off I passed trees on the west side of airport [and] right wing first fell [and] the air was bad [and] aircraft settled to the ground[.] The aircraft was destroyed[.]" The pilot listed no airplane "mechanical malfunction failure" on his statement. The temperature, 27 nautical miles and 230 degrees from the accident site, was 27 degrees C and the density altitude there was 2,802 feet above mean sea level.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,630 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 25, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,935 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 19, 2001; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340 ANI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Grygla MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 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.