Air Tractor At-301 accident near Plains, Kansas, March 26, 2008
On March 26, 2008 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor At-301, registered N4427S, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Plains, Kansas (Private airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power as a result of a blocked carburetor. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2008 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Plains, Kansas · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor At-301
- Registration
- N4427S · no longer on the register · serial 301-0087
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was repositioning a single-engine agricultural airplane to a private grass strip when the engine lost power while on final approach. The pilot was unable to maintain his altitude so he made a forced landing to the only suitable field available. However, during the roll out he applied the brakes to avoid colliding with a large sprinkler apparatus and flipped over. As a result the vertical stabilizer and the rudder were substantially damaged. Further examination of the radial engine by the operator revealed that the flexible intake hose had come loose and was ingested into the carburetor blocking the throat of the carburetor.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 490 hours in all; 158 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Lakin KS
- Destination: NONE Plains KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.