Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Hoxie, Kansas, June 11, 1995
On June 11, 1995 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N23477, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hoxie, Kansas. 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 loss of engine power due to the loose nut on the adjustment screw and the jammed exhaust valve on the number three cylinder. A factor in the accident was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 1995 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hoxie, Kansas · 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
- N23477 · no longer on the register · serial 301-0390
- 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 PILOT REPORTED HE WAS EN ROUTE FOR AN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATION WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES AFTER DEPARTURE. HE STATED THERE WERE NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS ON ANY OF THE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS OR THROTTLE QUADRANT. THE ENGINE THEN LOST ALL POWER AND THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A ROAD. WHILE LANDING, THE AIRPLANE'S LANDING GEAR STRUCK A DITCH AND THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST IN AN INVERTED POSITION. POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED THE NUT (P/N 9294) ON THE ADJUSTING SCREW FOR THE NUMBER THREE CYLINDER WAS LOOSE. DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE CLEARANCE, THE EXHAUST VALVE WAS NOT ABLE TO OPEN.
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: 5,630 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 225 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 5,452 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,355 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 5, 1995; 188 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KS01 at 1:51 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.