Air Tractor 301 N8538S
16 July 1982 · Yuma, Arizona, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 16 July 1982 at about 12:40 local time, a Air Tractor 301 registered N8538S, operated by Valley Sprayer & Duster, was involved in an accident near Yuma, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 12:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Yuma, Arizona, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 301
- Registration
- N8538S
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Valley Sprayer & Duster
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Yuma → Yuma
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- Unk
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX82FUJ42
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED HIS LAST LOAD OF THE DAY AND WAS EN ROUTE BACK TO THE AIRPORT. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, THEN THE NOSE DROPPED AND THE PLANE ENTERED A SPIN. IT STRUCK THE GROUND BEFORE RECOVERING FROM THE SPIN. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT FAILURE OF THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor 301 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Aug 1982 | Air Tractor 301A | Marks, Mississippi, United States | Mothershead Aviation Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 May 1982 | Air Tractor 301 | McAllen, Texas, United States | Troy Ledbetter | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1982 | Air Tractor 301 | Dos Palos, California, United States | Spain-Air Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1982 | Air Tractor 301 | Clarksville, Texas, United States | Hornbeck Flying Service | Fatal | - |
| 1 Aug 1978 | Air Tractor 301 | Rio Hondo, Texas, United States | Texas Dustn SV | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jul 1978 | Air Tractor 301 | Bartlesville, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Mar 1982 | Cessna 150G | Tucson, Arizona, United States | David G. Lepo | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 1982 | Beechcraft 58 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | Valley National Bank | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Mar 1982 | Hatz CB-1 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | R A Chaney JR | No injuries | - |
| 14 Dec 1982 | Beechcraft K35 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | Kerley Chemical Corp. | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Nov 1982 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | RRT Investments, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Dec 1982 | Mooney M20A | Gila Bend, Arizona, United States | George Wesley Epps, JR. | Serious injuries | - |