Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Langdon, North Dakota, July 15, 2005
On July 15, 2005 at about 2:30 am local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N3159N, was destroyed in an accident near Langdon, North Dakota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the terrain while attempting an abrupt turning maneuver at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2005 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Langdon, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N3159N · no longer on the register · serial 301-0469
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The agricultural airplane impacted terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude during an aerial application flight. The airplane was spraying a field of canola with fungicide just prior to the accident. The land owner reported that after a spray-run the airplane continued about a half mile beyond the end of the field before pitching-up. An agricultural pilot, who was operating near the accident site, saw the airplane "take a straight line up and arch across the top violently and then it appeared to go straight down." The pilot stated that the airplane did not climb higher than 200 feet above ground level before abruptly pitching to the right and entering the nose low attitude. The wreckage was located in a level, open field. The aircraft engine was impacted into the field to a depth of approximately four feet. Flight control continuity was established between all flight control surfaces and the cockpit. No anomalies were found that could be determined to have existed prior to impact.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,050 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,234.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 74.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D55 Langdon ND
- Destination: D55
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 am from DVL, 43 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.