# Accident 19990523005539A: Airtrc AT802A, Poplar Bluff, MO, May 23, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 23, 1999, 14:00 local time
- Place: Poplar Bluff, MO
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 36.7605° N, 90.4003° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.7605&lon=-90.4003&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6144H (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT802A
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99LA159](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA159) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990523005539A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACFT ENCOUNTERED A CROSS WIND ON TAKE-OFF, LOST CONTROL, AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (-23)ON MAY 23, 1999 AT APPROX. 1400 HOURS CST,  MR. JOHN HALL  WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKEOFF IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION FROM HIS PERSONAL AIRFIELD APPROX. SIX (6) MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE POPLAR BLUFF, MO. AIRPORT (POF) WITH A FULL LOAD OF FERTILIZER IN HIS AIR TRACTOR AT-802 A/C. THE WINDS WERE GUSTY FROM THE NORTHWEST AT APPROX. 20-25 MILES PER HOUR. DURING TAKEOFF ROLL  MR. HALL  STATED THAT HE HAD FULL CONTROL SURFACE APPLICATION APPLIED BUT DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT CONTROL INPUTS AVAILABLE TO COUNTERACT THE STRONG CROSSWINDS. HE LOST CONTROL APPROX. 1/2 THE WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY. THE A/C WEATHER VANED INTO THE WIND AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY ON THE NORTHSIDE CROSSING A DRAINAGE DITCH, ACROSS A LEVEE WHERE THE GEAR WAS REMOVED AND CONTINUED SLIDING AND SPINNING UNTIL IT CAME TO REST APPROX. 50 FEET NORTH OF THE RUNWAY AND ABOUT 2/3'S OF THE WAY DOWN THE 1500 FEET STRIP.  MR. HALL  WAS UNINJURED AND CONTINUED WORKING IN HIS OTHER A/C. HE HAD FLOWN APPROX. 24 FLIGHTS PREVIOUS TO THE ACCIDENT STARTING AT 7:00 AM WITH A 1 HR BREAK.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI99LA159](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA159), May 23, 1999: Air Tractor AT-802A (N6144H), Poplar Bluff, MO, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot selecting the wrong runway direction on which to initiate the takeoff and his failure to maintain directional control. Factors associated with the accident were the quartering tailwind…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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