Air Tractor 301 accident near Drew, Mississippi, July 23, 1999
On July 23, 1999 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor 301, registered N2368R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Drew, Mississippi (Ruleville airport). 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
a loss of engine power due to the failure of cylinder No. 4 boss, which was caused by fatigue cracking, resulting in a forced landing in marshy terrain and subsequent nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1999 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Drew, Mississippi · Ruleville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 301
- Registration
- N2368R · registry record · serial 301-0418
- 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 flight was departing from a 3,000 foot runway with a full load of fertilizer. The airplane became airborne, and according to the pilot, the engine lost power. The pilot was not able to maintain altitude, and the airplane impacted the ground about 2,500 feet from the departure end of the runway. The on scene investigation revealed that the No. 4 cylinder exhaust rocker box cover was fractured and missing, and appeared to not have been caused by impact with the ground. The No. 4 cylinder was removed from the engine and sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C., for examination. The laboratory examination revealed that the No. 4 cylinder head had failed from fatigue cracking, probably the result of both mechanical and thermal stresses. It was likely that the fatigue originated first at the corners of the exhaust rocker shaft hole in boss '1', then initiated at localized casting defects in boss '2' as the fatigue in boss '1' grew and the local stresses increased in the remaining structure.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,200 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 4,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 1999; 300 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M37 at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,000 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from GLH
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.