Air Tractor 301 accident near Circleville, Texas, February 17, 1988
On February 17, 1988 at about 6:05 pm local time, a Air Tractor 301, registered N3164Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Circleville, Texas. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 17, 1988 · about 6:05 pm local time
- Place
- Circleville, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 301
- Registration
- N3164Y · no longer on the register · serial 301 0540
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING FERRIED TO A NEW LOCATION, AND AN EN ROUTE REFUELING STOP WAS PLANNED. A LOW CEILING AND LOW VISIBILITY SET IN AND THE PILOT TRIED TO EXTEND THE FLIGHT TO A DIFFERENT TOWN. THE FUEL WAS EXHAUSTED 6 MILES SHORT OF A TOWN. THE AIRPLANE WAS LANDED IN A WET, PLOWED, FIELD. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, IT FLIPPED OVER TO THE INVERTED 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,114 hours in all; 303 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 2,114 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,675 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 31F Seminole TX at 3:15 pm
- Destination: T54 Rosenberg TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from AUS, 16 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.
Other NTSB records under N3164Y 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.