Air Tractor AT301 accident near Laveen, Arizona, August 13, 1992
On August 13, 1992 at about 4:30 am local time, a Air Tractor AT301, registered N4410S, was destroyed in an accident near Laveen, 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 PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE DURING THE LOW-LEVEL AERIAL APPLICATION PROCEDURE TURN. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE NIGHT CONDITION AND THE HIGH TENSION WIRES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 1992 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Laveen, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT301
- Registration
- N4410S · no longer on the register · serial 0070
- 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. WHILE EXECUTING A LOW-LEVEL TURN, AFTER COMPLETING AN AERIAL APPLICATION SWATH RUN, HE OBSERVED SOME HIGH TENSION WIRES AND EXECUTED A TIGHT TURN. DURING THE TURN HE FAILED TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY THE IMPACT AND ENSUING POST IMPACT FIRE.
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
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,175 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 7, 1992; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: P10 Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N4410S 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.