Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Walkerville, Illinois, June 30, 2007
On June 30, 2007 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N5230S, was destroyed in an accident near Walkerville, Illinois. 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 altitude/clearance not maintained by the pilot during the aerial application flight. The corn was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2007 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Walkerville, Illinois · 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
- N5230S · registry record · serial 301-0128
- 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 received substatial damage after it contacted the corn crop that it was spraying and then impacted terrain. The pilot stated that while maneuvering around tower guide wires, the airplane entered the corn crop and eventually settled into the crop, landing upright.
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: 1,100 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Carlinville IL
- Destination: Walkerville IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.