Air Tractor AT-402A accident near Moreland, Idaho, March 13, 1998
On March 13, 1998 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-402A, registered N50963, was destroyed in an accident near Moreland, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin. A factor was his lack of familiarity in the make/model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1998 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Moreland, Idaho
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-402A
- Registration
- N50963 · no longer on the register · serial 402A-1046
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The (PIC) pilot-in-command (prospective buyer) was given an oral checkout and training by a representative of the aircraft sales distributor and then he departed on his first flight. He had never flown this make/model, and reportedly had no turbine/turbo-prop experience. He had accumulated over 600 hours in a reciprocating powered crop duster with similar flight characteristics. Several witnesses reported observing the aircraft in a spin, and on-site examination revealed that the aircraft impacted in a slight nose/right wing low, inverted attitude with no forward momentum. No witnesses observed the entry maneuver that led to the inverted spin. The engine was disassembled and no evidence of mechanical malfunction was found. The weight and center of gravity was within limits at the time of the accident.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,808 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 16, 1997; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-11AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U02 Blackfoot ID at 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from PIH, 24 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.
Other NTSB records under N50963 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.