Air Tractor 301 accident near Big Spring, Texas, September 23, 2006
On September 23, 2006 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor 301, registered N23260, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Spring, Texas (Big Spring Municipal airport). It was a ferry 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 loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as result of the pilot's failure to refuel the airplane. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 2006 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Big Spring, Texas · Big Spring Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 301
- Registration
- N23260 · registry record · serial 373
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 9,000-hour commercial pilot departed from a private airstrip on an aerial application flight. The pilot reported that just prior to reaching his destination, the fuel pressure light came on and the 600 horsepower radial engine lost power. The pilot elected to execute a forced landing to a field on a southern heading. The airplane sustained structural damage upon contact with trees during the forced landing. Examination of the airplane revealed that the loss of fuel pressure was the result of fuel exhaustion. The pilot reported that at the time of the accident scattered clouds prevailed at 6,000 and the winds were from 360 degrees at 8 knots. The airplane sustained structural damage upon impact with the trees. The pilot was not injured.
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
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 6,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Griffith Field
- Destination: KBGS Big Springs TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°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.
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.