Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Garner, Arkansas, July 22, 1993
On July 22, 1993 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N3650U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Garner, Arkansas. 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
TOTAL FAILURE OF ONE PROPELLER BLADE. FACTORS WERE THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE ENGINE DURING THE FORCED LANDING, DESPITE THE PILOT'S EFFORTS TO SHUT IT DOWN, AND THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR THE FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1993 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Garner, Arkansas
- 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
- N3650U · no longer on the register · serial 301-0252
- 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 AN AERIAL APPLICATION SPRAY RUN OVER A CULTIVATED FIELD WHEN HE HEARD A LOUD 'BANG' FOLLOWED BY SEVERE ENGINE VIBRATION. DURING THE SUBSEQUENT FORCED LANDING, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO SECURE THE ENGINE AND THEREFORE, COULD NOT DECELERATE. THE AIRPLANE FLEW INTO TREES ABOUT 20 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL PRIOR TO GROUND IMPACT. POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION DISCLOSED A 20-INCH SECTION OF ONE OF THE PROPELLER BLADES HAD SEPARATED IN FLIGHT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,936 hours in all; 480 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 5,835 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from LIT, 39 miles away
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.