Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Tillar, Arkansas, August 27, 1987
On August 27, 1987 at about 2:07 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N3159X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tillar, Arkansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- August 27, 1987 · about 2:07 pm local time
- Place
- Tillar, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N3159X · no longer on the register · serial 301-0475
- 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 PILOT STATED THAT THE PROP RPM BECAME ERRATIC. ON APPROACH, THE PROP RAN COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO NOSE DOWN INTO A PLOWED FIELD JUST SHORT OF THE LANDING AREA. THE A/C HIT ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR, BROKE THEM OFF, THEN IT NOSED OVER. INSPECTION OF THE PROPELLER FOUND THAT ALL OF THE DOWEL PINS THAT FIX THE DOME STATIONARY TO THE HUB ASSEMBLY HAD FAILED. THIS FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF THE BARREL SHIMS BEING PARTIALLY INSTALLED ALONG THE EDGE OF THE DOME INSTEAD OF FLAT AGAINST THE DOME SHELF IN THE HUB. THE RESULT WAS THE BLADES BECOMING DISENGAGED FROM THE GEARING.
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: 6,500 hours in all; 2,600 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 6,248 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,807 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 6, 1987; 607 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AR04 Tillar AR at 1:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 022° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from PBF, 40 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.