Air Tractor AT 301 accident near New Deal, Texas, May 29, 1982
On May 29, 1982 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT 301, registered N4359S, was destroyed in an accident near New Deal, Texas. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1982 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- New Deal, Texas · 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
- N4359S · no longer on the register · serial 301-0039
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED AN AG STRIP WITH A HEAVILY LOADED AIRCRAFT. REPORTEDLY, THE ELEVATION AND TEMPERATURE WERE 3338 FT AND 87 DEG. AFTER CLIMBING TO ABOUT 45 FT AGL, HE ENTERED A RIGHT TURN. AT THIS TIME, HE NOTICED ENGINE ROUGHNESS AND A LOSS OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE. HE THEN INCREASED HIS BANK ANGLE TO AVOID A LINE OF POLES. HE ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE FLAPS AND DUMP THE LOAD, BUT BEFORE THIS COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND.
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: 375 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,367 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: New Deal Flying Service INC.
The flight
- Departed from: New Deal TX at 3:29 pm
- Destination: New Deal TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 189°F (87°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.
Other NTSB records under N4359S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.