Air Tractor AT-400 accident near Elkhart, Kansas, May 25, 1999
On May 25, 1999 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-400, registered N400MJ, was destroyed in an accident near Elkhart, Kansas. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 1999 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Elkhart, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-400
- Registration
- N400MJ · registry record · serial 400-0676
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was being flown from Ulysses, Kansas, 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. The airplane impacted terrain approximately 0.75 miles south of the drilling rig. The weather 50 nautical miles east of the accident site was reported as overcast at 300 feet above ground level. Witnesses estimated the local ceiling to be 180 to 200 feet at the time of the accident. There is no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing. There were no mechanical discrepancies found during the examination of the wreckage that could be associated with a preexisting condition.
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: 3,216 hours in all; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,155 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,949 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 6,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Jordan Air
The flight
- Departed from: EHA Ulysses KS at 2:15 pm
- Destination: EHA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from LBL, 50 miles away
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.
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.