Air Tractor AT-501 accident near Marianna, Arkansas, July 19, 1994
On July 19, 1994 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-501, registered N6073J, was destroyed in an accident near Marianna, Arkansas (Gerrand Strip airport). 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
A PREMATURE LIFTOFF. FACTORS WERE THE TALL, WET GRASS AND A TAIL WIND COMPONENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 1994 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Marianna, Arkansas · Gerrand Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-501
- Registration
- N6073J · registry record · serial 502B-250
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TAKEOFF WAS ATTEMPTED IN A 5 KNOT QUARTERING TAIL WIND, OFF OF A SOD STRIP THAT WAS WET AND HAD TALL GRASS. IN ADDITION, THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS 90 DEGREES. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE SETTLED BACK ONTO THE RUNWAY AFTER LIFTOFF. HE ADDED ALL REMAINING POWER, INCREASED THE FLAP SETTING, AND BEGAN DUMPING THE LOAD. THE AIRPLANE EVENTUALLY BECAME AIRBORNE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO CLEAR A TREE LINE AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE TREES AND CRASHED.
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: 6,627 hours in all; 1,406 in this make and model; 233 in the last 90 days; 113 in the last 30 days; 6,569 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 313 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,650 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 5 knots
- 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.
Other NTSB records under N6073J 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.