NTSB Identification: WPR11FA272
14 CFR Part 137: Agricultural
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 21, 2011 in Hogeland, MT
Aircraft: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-301, registration: N3661B
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On June 21, 2011, about 0515 mountain daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-301, N3661B, collided with terrain in a field near Hogeland, Montana. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and both wings. The local flight departed Harlem, Montana, about 0500. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The airplane was located in an agricultural field, consisting of hard packed soil, rocks, and stones. The airplane came to rest nose-down, with the forward fuselage sustaining crush damage from the firewall through to the forward cabin. The tail cone remained attached, and canted about 15 degrees to the left with the vertical stabilizer and rudder remaining attached. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator had become separated from their mount points, and were located forward of the wreckage. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator remained attached, and exhibited 90-degrees upward bending mid-span. The left wing sustained accordion-like crush damage perpendicular to the chord, from the leading edge through to the aft spar. The right wing sustained crush damage limited to the leading edge.

During recovery, the engine was located buried about 3 feet in the dirt below the firewall area. The two-blade-propeller sustained leading edge nicks, gouges, and scratches with both tips twisted about 90-degrees.

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