ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 37523
Last updated: 18 December 2020
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| Date: | 25-MAY-1999 |
| Time: | 09:45 |
| Type: |  Air Tractor AT-400 |
| Owner/operator: | Jordan Air |
| Registration: | N400MJ |
| C/n / msn: | 400-0676 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Elkhart, KS -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Ulysses, KS (EHA) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
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.
Probable Cause: 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.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X18709&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 15:13 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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