Air Tractor AT301 accident near El Dorado, Oklahoma, March 22, 1987
On March 22, 1987 at about 3:55 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT301, registered N3655G, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Dorado, Oklahoma. 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
- March 22, 1987 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- El Dorado, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT301
- Registration
- N3655G · no longer on the register · serial 292
- 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 PILOT STATED THAT DURING TAKEOFF FROM A COUNTY ROAD, BLACK SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE EXHAUST. THE AIRCRAFT THEN COLLIDED WITH A TREE AND A POST CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CARBURETOR HEAT SYSTEM HAD BEEN MODIFIED AND THE CARBURETOR FLAPPER VALVE WAS STUCK IN THE CLOSED POSITION.
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: 2,700 hours in all; 290 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 1987; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,050 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jackson County Spray CO.
The flight
- Departed from: El Dorado OK at 3:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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 N3655G 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.