Callair A-9 accident near Cartwright, North Dakota, July 28, 1989
On July 28, 1989 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Callair A-9, registered N8246H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cartwright, North Dakota. 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
A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER DUE TO AN IMPROPERLY ADJUSTED CARBURETOR WHICH RESULTED IN AN EXCESSIVE RICH FUEL-AIR MIXTURE. THIS REQUIRED A FORCED LANDING IN AN AREA WHERE NO SUITABLE TERRAIN EXISTED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1989 · about 2:30 pm local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Cartwright, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Callair A-9 · all A-9s on the register
- Registration
- N8246H · registry record · serial 1119
- 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 WAS SPRAYING THIOLUX ON A FIELD AND HAD JUST PULLED UP FROM SWATH RUN WHEN HE HEARD A LOUD BANG AND NOTED ENGINE RPM DECAY. GROUND WITNESSES ALSO HEARD THE BANG AND OBSERVED DARK SMOKE TRAILING FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN AN ALFALFA FIELD. THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. A SMALL CARBURETOR FIRE WAS ALSO EXTINGUISHED. THE ENGINE AND CARBURETOR WERE PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLED. EVIDENCE OF AN EXTREMELY RICH MIXTURE, BACKFIRE, AND CARBURETOR FIRE WAS FOUND. ALL THE SPARK PLUGS WERE BLACK. THE CARBURETOR WAS OVERHAULED IN 1987 BECAUSE THE ENGINE RAN ROUGH AND WOULD NOT DEVELOP FULL POWER, REGARDLESS OF MIXTURE CONTROL SETTING. THE CARBURETOR HAD ACCUMULATED 300 HOURS SINCE OVERHAUL.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,548 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 415 in the last 90 days; 103 in the last 30 days; 3,433 as pilot in command; 52 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 22, 1989; 157 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755-A2M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Specialties, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SDY Sidney MT at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8246H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Callair A-9 12 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Callair 44 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Jacobs R-755-A2M 34 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sidney-Richland Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in North Dakota 581 since 1982 · 59 in the last ten years
- North Dakota 2,493 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN89LA181.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.