Air Tractor AT301 accident near Ellinwood, Kansas, November 7, 1989
On November 7, 1989 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT301, registered N3158Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ellinwood, Kansas (Ellinwood airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
THE PARTIAL FAILURE OF THE ENGINE FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS WHICH RESULTED IN A FORCED LANDING. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE SOFT DIRT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1989 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ellinwood, Kansas · Ellinwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT301
- Registration
- N3158Z · registry record · serial 301-0457
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING CLIMBOUT HE BELIEVED THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED A PARTIAL LOSS OF ENG PWR. HE DUMPED HIS CHEMICAL LOAD AS THE ACFT DESCENDED. HE MANEUVERED THE ACFT TO AVOID SEVERAL OBSTACLES, BUT THE LEFT GEAR EVENTUALLY SEPARATED AFTER THE ACFT LANDED IN SOFT DIRT. A POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE ENGINE FAILED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE REPORTED PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE PWR; THE DISASSEMBLY OF THE ENG DID NOT REVEAL ANY PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTION.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 7,470 as pilot in command; 1,100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,365 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 17, 1989; 207 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.