Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, April 13, 1989
On April 13, 1989 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N3159D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Pierce, 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
FAILURE OF THE NUMBER FIVE CYLINDER. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PROXIMITY OF HOMES IN THE AREA, WHICH PRECLUDED JETTISONING OF THE CHEMICAL LOAD, AND HIGH VEGETATION IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 1989 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Pierce, Florida
- 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
- N3159D · no longer on the register · serial 301-0471
- 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 WHILE CLIMBING AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT ENG STARTED TO GRADUALLY LOSE POWER, THEN STARTED MISSING. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN SOME PALMETTO BUSHES, WHICH DAMAGED THE ACFT'S LANDING GEAR & WINGS. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THE #5 CYLINDER ASSEMBLY WAS CRACKED, WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF POWER. THE PLT NOTED THAT THERE WERE HOMES IN THE AREA, WHICH PRECLUDED HIM FROM JETTISONING HIS LOAD.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 3,700 in this make and model; 162 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 26,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,232 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 15, 1989; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-53H1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FPR Fort Pierce FL at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from VRB, 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.
Other NTSB records under N3159D 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.