Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Winnsboro, Louisiana, August 25, 2003
On August 25, 2003 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N301AF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winnsboro, Louisiana. 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 inadequate inflight planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A factor was 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
- August 25, 2003 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Winnsboro, Louisiana · 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
- N301AF · registry record · serial 301-0594
- 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 8,500-hour commercial pilot was performing aerial application on a field when the engine lost power. During the forced landing into a field, the airplane impacted several small trees before coming to rest in an upright position. The pilot reported the fuel on-board from his last takeoff earlier in the day was 60 gallons. The fuel cells were found to be empty.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,572 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 8,476 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 21, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,197 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 2003; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F89 Winnsboro LA at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 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.