Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Plainview, Texas, July 8, 1998
On July 8, 1998 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N2325G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plainview, Texas (Horan 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
The pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance during the aerial application flight. A factor was the transmission wire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 1998 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Plainview, Texas · Horan Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N2325G · no longer on the register · serial 301-0370
- 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 airplane's right wing contacted a wire during an aerial application flight near Mart, Texas. The pilot stated that he was making the final pass in a field he was spraying. He was flying the airplane adjacent to a 'center pivot sprinkler' and adjusted the flight path of the airplane to remain clear of the sprinkler. The airplane cleared the sprinkler and was departing the field at the western edge when the pilot noticed wires. The right wing tip of the airplane contacted the lower wire and continued flying. The pilot flew the airplane to the Horan Airport, Plainview, Texas, where it landed without further incident.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,782 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 3,622 as pilot in command; 84 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,110 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 1998; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1TX5 Hale Center TX at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,560 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.