Air Tractor AT-400 accident near Elkhart, KS
On May 25, 1999, an Air Tractor AT-400 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Elkhart, KS. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 25, 1999
- Place
- Elkhart, KS
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-400 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.001°N, 101.889°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X18709
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 25, 1999, approximately 0945 central daylight time (cdt), an Air Tractor AT-400, N400MJ, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed on impact with the terrain approximately 1.5 statute miles north of the Elkhart-Morton County Airport, Elkhart, Kansas. The aerial spraying aircraft was on a repositioning flight and was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 at the time of the accident. There was no flight plan on file. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight originated from the Ulysses Airport, Ulysses, Kansas, at approximately 0915 cdt, and was en route to the Elkhart-Morton County Airport. The aircraft was being flown from Ulysses following maintenance to the aerial spray system. A drilling rig worker, operating at a 96-foot tall temporary oil-drilling rig, located approximately 0.75 miles north of the accident site, said that the airplane came directly at them on a south heading. The worker reported that the altitude of the aircraft was below the height of the rig (96 feet) but above his position approximately 50 feet above ground level. The worker stated that the aircraft banked right to avoid the tower and flew southerly into the fog. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot born July 29, 1964, was the holder of a non-instrument rated commercial pilot certificate with privileges for single engine land. His most recent biennial flight review was on March 3, 1999. He held a second class medical certificate issued on April 16, 1999. The pilot log
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision and his inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions which resulted in spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of aircraft control. Contributing to the accident was the poor weather conditions.
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Browse: Kansas · Air Tractor aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
