Air Tractor AT-401 accident near Alamo, Texas, January 14, 2003
On January 14, 2003 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-401, registered N1537R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alamo, Texas (Mid Valley Dusters airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall. Low altitude flight is a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 2003 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Alamo, Texas · Mid Valley Dusters · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-401
- Registration
- N1537R · registry record · serial 401-0858
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an aerial application flight, while the aircraft was in the process of executing a turn to reverse direction, the airplane stalled and impacted the ground in a nose low attitude. The evidence found at the accident site where consistent with an airplane impacting the ground in a nose low attitude, at a relatively slow airspeed. The main wreckage came to rest in an open field in an upright position, approximately 75-feet from the initial point of impact. The radial engine was found separated from the airframe. The two-bladed propeller assembly remained attached to the engine crankshaft. Both fuel cells were compromised during the accident sequence. An FAA inspector arrived at the accident site within an hour after the mishap and reported no evidence of fuel or fuel smell at the accident site. The memory card from the SATLOC system installed in the aircraft was recovered by the FAA inspector for further evaluation. The memory card was analyzed and found not to have any information pertaining to the accident flight. Several attempts were made by the FAA inspector, as well as the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge to interview the 16,600-hour pilot after his release from the hospital after the accident. The pilot reported that he did not have any recollection of the accident or the circumstances prior to the mishap.
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: 16,600 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 16,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 30, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,118 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 30, 2002; 224 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T65 Weslaco TX at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 120, 1,925 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MFE, 6 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.