Air Tractor 301 accident near Clarksville, Texas, July 1, 1982
On July 1, 1982 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Air Tractor 301, registered N4437S, was involved in an accident near Clarksville, 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
- July 1, 1982 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksville, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 301
- Registration
- N4437S · registry record · serial 301-0097
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE BRIEFED THE TWO FLAGMEN ABOUT MOVING TO NEXT ROW AS SOON AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS LINED UP ON THE SWATH RUN. BOTH FLAGMEN MOVED PROPERLY UNTIL ON THE FATAL PASS ONE FLAGMAN DID NOT MOVE AND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK HIM. THE FLAGMAN STRUCK BY THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE PRIOR EXPERIENCE AS A FLAGMAN.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,338 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 1,167 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,500 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Clarksville TX at 12:00 pm
- Destination: Clarksville TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 198°F (92°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 N4437S 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.