Air Tractor INC AT 301 accident near Hutchinson, Minnesota, June 20, 2018
On June 20, 2018 at about 4:00 pm local time, a 1984 Air Tractor INC AT 301, registered N3169D, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Hutchinson, Minnesota (Hutchinson Muni-Butler Field). 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 improper preflight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 2018 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hutchinson, Minnesota · Hutchinson Muni-Butler Field · 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 301 NO SERIES, built 1984 · all AT 301s on the register
- Registration
- N3169D · registry record · serial 301-0569
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, during an agricultural application flight, he accidentally loaded more fertilizer to disperse than he had initially planned, which made the airplane "heavy." He chose not to add fuel to prevent the airplane from being over its gross weight. During flight, the engine lost power, and the pilot conducted a forced landed in a dirt field that was water-logged due to recent storms. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that "I misjudged what I believed to be a safe quantity of fuel remaining." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Aircraft loading event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Wet/muddy terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,350 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 152 in the last 90 days; 152 in the last 30 days; 3,290 as pilot in command; 1,930 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 27, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 7,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt And Whitney R1340 (piston); 11,584 hours total
- Operator: Classic Arrow INC
The flight
- Departed from: HCD Hutchinson MN at 3:30 pm
- Destination: HCD Hutchinson MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from KHCD, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 20, 2018. 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 | 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.