Air Tractor AT 301 accident near Yuma, Arizona, June 15, 1983
On June 15, 1983 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT 301, registered N4337S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yuma, Arizona. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 1983 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Yuma, Arizona · 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
- N4337S · no longer on the register · serial 301-0083
- 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 PLT REPORTED THAT HE LANDED ON A FARM ROAD TO INSPECT THE ALTERNATOR & ASSOCIATED WIRING BEFORE STARTING AERIAL APPLICATION. FOLLOWING THE INSPECTION, DURING WHICH NOTHING WAS FOUND WRONG, HE COMMENCED TAKING OFF. AS THE ACFT WAS ACCELERATING FOR TAKEOFF, A SOFT AREA WAS ENCOUNTERED WHICH SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE GROUND ROLL. MOMENTS AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE, THE LEFT WING TIP & SPRAY BOOM IMPACTED A CITRUS TREE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLT LOST CONTROL & THE ACFT STALLED & IMPACTED THE GROUND.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 1,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,570 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 21, 1983; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°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.
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.