Air Tractor AT-301 accident near San Joaquin, California, August 19, 1984
On August 19, 1984 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N8636S, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Joaquin, 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 19, 1984 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- San Joaquin, California · 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
- N8636S · no longer on the register · serial 301-0168
- 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 AIR TRACTOR WAS ON TAKEOFF INITIAL CLIMB AND WAS ABOUT 20 FT HIGH WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO BACKFIRE. THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED INTO THE COTTON FIELD AND ROTATED ABOUT 90 DEGREES AFTER GROUND CONTACT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER WAS FOUND TO BE SPLIT.
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: 30,000 hours in all; 5,780 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 30,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,280 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 30, 1983; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,260 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R 1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 505 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.