Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Rio Hondo, Texas, July 14, 1982
On July 14, 1982 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N4448S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rio Hondo, Texas (Burkes Strip airport). 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
- July 14, 1982 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Rio Hondo, Texas · Burkes Strip · 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
- N4448S · no longer on the register · serial 301-0078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD OF TALL COTTON. AFTER LANDING IN THE COTTON FIELD WITH FOUR-FOOT-HIGH STALKS, THE PILOT AS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE PLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED A BLOWN SEAL IN THE ENGINE SUPER CHARGER BLOWER.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,250 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 275 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,316 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P & W R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: XS64 Rio Hondo TX at 11:45 am
- Destination: XS64 Rio Hondo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 199°F (93°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 N4448S 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.