Air Tractor INC AT accident near Hondo, Texas, September 5, 2016
On September 5, 2016 at about 4:20 pm local time, a 1983 Air Tractor INC AT, registered N31627, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Hondo, Texas. 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 clearance from an antenna atop a tower while maneuvering at a low altitude and the airplane’s subsequent impact with terrain during an attempted off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2016 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Hondo, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT 400, built 1983
- Registration
- N31627 · no longer on the register · serial 400-0506
- 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 reported that, while maneuvering at low altitude over a field during an agricultural application flight, the airplane struck an antenna atop a tower adjacent to the field, and the antenna wrapped around the right wing and landing gear. The pilot added that he attempted an off-airport landing, but the airplane impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. In an e-mail, the tower owner's lawyer reported that the tower was used for internet and two-way communications. He added that the tower was under 200 ft above ground level and "with the antenna attached, the tower was in the mid to upper 100 [foot] range." The lawyer reported that the tower was marked and lit appropriately and was not registered due its height.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tower/antenna (incl guy wires) › Awareness of condition
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,727 hours in all; 727 in this make and model; 460 in the last 90 days; 174 in the last 30 days; 2,714.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 3, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,575 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PP6-27 (turboprop); 16,274 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4TS8 D'Hanis TX at 3:30 pm
- Destination: 4TS8 D'Hanis TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,700 ft; scat at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from KHDO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on October 17, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Tower Information | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Factual Revision | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.