Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Meade, Kansas, March 21, 1995
On March 21, 1995, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N5237S, was destroyed in an accident near Meade, Kansas. 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 not obtaining/maintaining clearance with the utility pole. A factor was the utility pole.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 1995
- Place
- Meade, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N5237S · registry record · serial 301-0131
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE MANEUVERING DURING AERIAL APPLICATION, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED A UTILITY POLE WITH THE RIGHT WING AND DESCENDED INTO THE TERRAIN. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION FAILED TO REVEAL ANY PRE- IMPACT ANOMALIES WITH THE AIRPLANE OR ANY PHYSICAL CONDITION OF THE PILOT WHICH WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.