Air Tractor 301 accident near Ulen, Minnesota, July 26, 2002
On July 26, 2002 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor 301, registered N3167P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ulen, Minnesota (Private Airstrip airport). 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 not performing an aborted takeoff. A factor was the soybean crop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2002 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ulen, Minnesota · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 301
- Registration
- N3167P · registry record · serial 301-0553
- 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 airplane was damaged when it impacted into a soybean field and nosed over during takeoff from a private airstrip. In a written statement, the pilot stated, "Departed as normal, aircraft at midpoint didn't seem to accelerate normally. By the time I got done rechecking flaps, prop, mixture, [and] power, my booms caught the soybeans [and] pulled me down until I went inverted. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 18, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,382 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 16, 2002; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ulen MN at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from DTL
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.