Air Tractor Inc AT 401B accident near Ellis, KS
On July 18, 2014, an Air Tractor Inc AT 401B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ellis, KS. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 18, 2014
- Place
- Ellis, KS
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT 401B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.024°N, 99.457°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140718X64536
Official records · CEN14LA376
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 17, 2014, about 2320 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-401B single engine turboprop airplane, N4223F, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain near Ellis, Kansas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to Frontier Ag Inc., and was operated by Frontier Agricultural Service, Inc.; both of Oakley, Kansas. Dark night visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident and a flight plan had not been filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) Part 91 positioning flight. The airplane had departed from Moritz Memorial Airport (K61), Beloit, Kansas, about 2245 and was destined for Oakley Municipal Airport (OEL), Oakley, Kansas. No witnesses to the accident were found, however evidence at the scene showed an initial impact scar with wreckage debris scattered generally to the south. The fuselage came to rest upright about 200 feet south from the initial impact point. There was no postimpact fire. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 23, held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He did not hold an instrument rating. His FAA private pilot certificate was issued on July 2, 2010, and his FAA commercial pilot certificate was issued on March 25, 2011. 2014. An examination of selected pages from the pilot's personal logbook showed that it contained daily flight entries from June 11, 2011, through March 14, 2014. Other pilot logbooks were not available during the course of the investigation. Based on the logbook entrie
Probable cause
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s inadequate preflight weather planning and subsequent inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and the loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to continue the flight in deteriorating weather conditions.
More accidents in KS
- Sikorsky S-76B, Jul 5, 2001
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- Cessna 210M, Nov 6, 1983
- Cessna 401, May 11, 2012
- Beech A36, Jul 7, 1994
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.
