Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Finley, Tennessee, June 19, 2001
On June 19, 2001 at about 1:25 am local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N23672, was destroyed in an accident near Finley, Tennessee (H&H Flying Services Airstrip airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain aircraft altitude control while on downwind leg of the landing pattern, resulting in an uncontrolled descent and in-flight collision with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 2001 · about 1:25 am local time
- Place
- Finley, Tennessee · H&H Flying Services Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N23672 · no longer on the register · serial 301-0413
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses stated that the agricultural sprayer aircraft approached the landing strip from the north, turned westward, and then southward , apparently entering the landing pattern. At about the midfield position at about 350 feet agl, on a downwind leg, the aircraft pitched up an additional 200 to 300 feet with no increase of power, although the engine sounded steady and normal. At the top of the climb, the aircraft went into a bank, the nose dropped through vertically toward the ground, and the aircraft impacted the terrain in a steep diving attitude. FAA inspectors reported the engine, it's controls, and all components appeared operational, precrash. Flight control continuity could only be confirmed from each control surface to a point 3 feet behind the cockpit because of impact damage. No part of the airframe was missing at the crash site. Eradication Foundation reports revealed the aircraft and pilot flew 6 trips for a total of 7.6 hours, applying 183 gallons of malathion on 2131 acres prior to the accident. Autopsy and toxicological findings revealed nothing causal.
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: 2,700 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 24, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,639 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 2000; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Finley TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 am from DYR, 10 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.
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.