Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Grygla, Minnesota, July 12, 1995
On July 12, 1995 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N8673S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grygla, Minnesota. 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 PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND/OR CLEARANCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SPRAY RUN. A FACTOR WAS TURBULENCE DUE TO THE DIFFERENT AIR TEMPERATURES OF ADJOINING TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1995 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Grygla, Minnesota · 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
- N8673S · no longer on the register · serial 301-0171
- 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 HAD COMPLETED THREE SPRAY RUNS OVER A FIELD OF SUNFLOWERS. WHILE FLARING IN PREPARATION FOR THE FOURTH SPRAY RUN THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED INTO THE SUNFLOWERS AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WITH THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINE THAT WOULD PREVENT NORMAL FLIGHT. DURING DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PILOT IT WAS REVEALED THAT THE SUNFLOWER FIELD WAS WET, AND THAT IT WAS SURROUNDED BY PASTURES AND A HAYFIELD THAT HAD RECENTLY BEEN CUT. THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS 90 DEG F. THE APPROACH TO THE FIELD WAS BORDERED BY A LINE OF 30-FT HIGH TREES.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,700 hours in all; 455 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 5,560 as pilot in command; 1,100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,773 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 1995; 122 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 66°F (19°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.