Air Tractor AT-400A accident near Hereford, Texas, February 19, 1986
On February 19, 1986 at about 4:36 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-400A, registered N23592, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hereford, 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
- February 19, 1986 · about 4:36 pm local time
- Place
- Hereford, 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-400A
- Registration
- N23592 · no longer on the register · serial 400A-0397
- 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 PLT REPTD THAT AS HE WAS RETURNING TO THE ARPT, THE ENG LOST POWER FROM A 'LOW FUEL AND/OR ROUGH AIR' CONDITION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED WHEN IT WAS LANDED ON UNEVEN TERRAIN NEAR A CREEK. LESS THAN 1 GAL OF FUEL WAS REMAINING IN THE ACFT. THE FUEL CAPACITY OF THE ACFT WAS 126 GAL OF WHICH 6 GAL WAS CONSIDERED AS UNUSABLE.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,469 hours in all; 1,069 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 5,288 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,133 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1986; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 265° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:49 pm from AMA, 42 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.