Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Brockway, Montana, July 31, 2000
On July 31, 2000 at about 2:13 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N4330S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brockway, Montana. 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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2000 · about 2:13 pm local time
- Place
- Brockway, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N4330S · no longer on the register · serial 301-0010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a routine aerial application flight, the aircraft collided with a power pole guy wire. The pilot stated that his spray path was parallel to a series of power transmission lines and that he did not see the guy wire prior to the collision. The guy wire severed the outboard section of the aircraft's right wing and aileron. The aircraft subsequently rolled to the right and collided with terrain. The aircraft came to rest, inverted, approximately 1,100 feet from the initial impact. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that contributed to the accident.
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: 4,399 hours in all; 863 in this make and model; 4,348 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,978 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 2000; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R 1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Harris Spray INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Brockway MT at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.