Air Tractor AT301 accident near Belle Glade, Florida, September 11, 1987
On September 11, 1987 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT301, registered N23600, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belle Glade, Florida. 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
- September 11, 1987 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Belle Glade, Florida · 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
- N23600 · registry record · serial 3010398
- 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 PLT STATED THAT HE WAS SPRAYING WATER TO CLEAN OUT HIS HOPPER TANK. DURING APPROACH TO LAND THE ENG QUIT. UNABLE TO REACH THE AIRSTRIP THE PLT LANDED ON A ROAD. ON LANDING ROLLOUT ON THE ROAD HE STRUCK A HIDDEN 55 GALLON DRUM WITH THE RIGHT WING TIP, SPUN APPROXIMATELY 60 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT, FLIPPED OVER & CAME TO REST INVERTED IN A CANAL ALONGSIDE THE ROAD. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT LOST POWER DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE INTERNAL SUPERCHARGER.
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
- Flight time: 12,847 hours in all; 3,300 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 12,808 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,395 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 6, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 7,050 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Thomas R.Summersill,Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 pm from PBI, 32 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.