Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Dekalb, Texas, July 26, 1992
On July 26, 1992 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N3167Y, was destroyed in an accident near Dekalb, Texas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR THE FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1992 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Dekalb, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N3167Y · no longer on the register · serial 301-0559
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE INITIAL RIGHT CLIMBING TURN AFTER TAKEOFF FROM A PRIVATE GRASS STRIP, THE PILOT NOTICED AN ENGINE RPM DROP OF APPROXIMATELY 100. THE DROP DID NOT OCCUR DURING CRUISE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE MADE ONE SPRAY PASS AND DURING THE TURNING MANEUVER THE AIRPLANE WOULD NOT MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND THE ENGINE DID NOT PRODUCE FULL POWER. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES AND TERRAIN. POST CRASH FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRPLANE.
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
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 5,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,173 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 4, 1992; 402 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,710 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Tedder Aviation Corporation
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.
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.