Air Tractor AT-301 accident near Levant, Kansas, June 5, 1994
On June 5, 1994 at about 1:00 am local time, a Air Tractor AT-301, registered N2344T, was destroyed in an accident near Levant, Kansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE EVALUATION OF WEATHER CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH KNOWN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. FACTORS WERE THE THUNDERSTORM AND DOWNDRAFTS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 1994 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Levant, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N2344T · no longer on the register · serial 301-0387
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS MAKING A SWATH RUN WHEN HE REALIZED THAT THE AIRPLANE'S PERFORMANCE WAS DEGRADING. HE ADDED FULL POWER, FLAPS, AND DUMPED HIS LOAD OF CHEMICALS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN FLIGHT. HE STATED THAT A THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED FIVE TO SEVEN MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF HIS LOCATION.
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: 7,200 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 7,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,786 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 1993; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Brewster KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N2344T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.