Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Vandemere, North Carolina, August 23, 2007
On August 23, 2007 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N3163T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vandemere, North Carolina. 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 loss of engine power due to the failure of the supercharger bearings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2007 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Vandemere, North Carolina · 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
- N3163T · no longer on the register · serial 301-0527
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While conducting aerial agricultural spraying, the airplane was in a turn when the pilot heard a loud squeal, the engine lost power, and the pilot prepared for a forced landing to a cornfield. During the landing, the airplane nosed-over and sustained substantial damage to the wings. Examination of the radial engine revealed the supercharger bearings failed and were ingested into the engine case. The exact cause of the supercharger failure could not be determined. The engine had accumulated 765 hours since major overhaul as of its most recent annual inspection, about 5 months prior to the accident. The recommended time to overhaul for the engine was 1,200 hours.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,950 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 4,900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,568 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Fort Barnwell NC at 11:40 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 am from EWN
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.