Loss of control Accident Air Tractor 502B N4203B,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 288294
 
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Date:Friday 23 July 2010
Time:13:00 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic AT5T model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Air Tractor 502B
Owner/operator:Josh Aukes
Registration: N4203B
MSN: 502B-2636
Year of manufacture:2008
Engine model:Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34AG
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Whittemore, Iowa -   United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature:Agricultural
Departure airport:Whittemore, IA
Destination airport:Whittemore, IA
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot reported that he had made four previous agricultural aerial application runs prior to the accident flight, one of which had the same load as the accident flight. He departed to the north since the windsock was indicating a slight northeast wind. The grass airstrip was about 2,640 feet long and was soft due to recent rains. The weather was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity. He reported that he put in 10 degrees of flaps, held the brakes, and ran the engine up to 1,700 lbs of torque. After he released the brakes and started the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a soft spot in the runway, which reduced his ground speed. Halfway down the runway the tail had still not come up, so the pilot 'forced the tail up using the trim tab” and by pushing the stick full forward. The pilot eased the forward stick pressure and the tail went back to the ground. He immediately began to dump the load and he put in full flaps. About 100 yards before the end of the runway, the pilot 'pulled the stick all the way back and became airborne, but stalled [the] airplane.” The left wing stalled and impacted the ground. The airplane came to rest in a corn field on the edge of the grass airstrip. The pilot reported that he 'should have stopped the ground roll when I encountered the wet spot in the strip.” The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, right wing, and empennage.

Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CEN10CA434
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 5 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB CEN10CA434

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
04-Oct-2022 20:57 ASN Update Bot Added

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