Boeing E75 accident near Tracy, California, August 20, 1983
On August 20, 1983 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Boeing E75, registered N4756V, was destroyed in an accident near Tracy, California. 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
- August 20, 1983 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tracy, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing E75 · all E75s on the register
- Registration
- N4756V · no longer on the register · serial 75-5102
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A FLT TO DISPENSE ORTHENE, A FILL LINE BEGAN LEAKING INTO THE COCKPIT. AFTER DISPENSING THE LOAD & WHILE RETURNING TO THE LANDING AREA AT ABOUT 30 FT AGL, THE PLT REACHED BELOW THE SEAT TO CHECK THE LEAK. WHILE HE WAS BENDING OVER TO LOCATE THE LEAK, THE ACFT FLEW INTO A BEAN FIELD. HE STATED THAT BEFORE HE LOOKED BACK OUT OF THE ACFT, THE RIGHT WING CAUGHT THE BEAN VINES & PULLED THE PLANE INTO THE FIELD.
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
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,657 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 1983; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°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.