Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Dyer, Tennessee, June 28, 2002
On June 28, 2002 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N73088, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dyer, Tennessee. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 failure of the pilot to maintain wingtip clearance with corn crops at the edge of the road resulting in the collision with the crops.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 2002 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dyer, Tennessee · 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
- N73088 · registry record · serial 301-0633
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was positioning the airplane to where the accident occurred to load chemical. After touchdown on the road, the right wing contacted corn on the side of the road. The airplane veered 90 degrees and came to rest upright approximately 50 feet into the field. The accident was reported by the FAA to the NTSB on July 30, 2002.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 18,560 hours in all; 2,600 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 17,570 as pilot in command; 3,202 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 23, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,440 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 14, 2001; 229 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KUCY Union City TN at 1:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KMKL, 28 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.