Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Westmorland, California, June 20, 2002
On June 20, 2002 at about 7:40 am local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N8719S, was destroyed in an accident near Westmorland, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the power lines while maneuvering during an aerial application flight. A factor was the dark night condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 2002 · about 7:40 am local time
- Place
- Westmorland, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N8719S · no longer on the register · serial 301-0178
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a night aerial application flight spraying a cotton field from east to west, starting on the north side of the field. Power lines, approximately 40 to 60 feet high, bordered the field on the south. On the pilot's next to the last pass, and after pulling up out of the field and maneuvering to reverse direction, the airplane impacted the power lines with its left wing, subsequently impacting a paved road in an inverted position where a post-crash fire ensued. No preimpact mechanical failures were found during an examination of the wreckage.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 29, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,803 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 11, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R 1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Brawley CA at 7:10 am
- Destination: Westmoreland CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.61 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from IPL, 14 miles away
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 N8719S 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.