# Accident 19990802110669A: Airtrc AT401, Morehaven, FL, August 2, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 2, 1999, 12:30 local time
- Place: Morehaven, FL
- Airport: Perry Farms
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: KVYG
- Location: 26.8293° N, 81.0901° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.8293&lon=-81.0901&mi=10
- Aircraft: N15585, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N15585-2007-12-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-401 (registry code 0390204, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-401) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 series (registry code 52016, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT401
- Reported engine: PWA R1340AN1
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,936 total, 2,405 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA99LA212](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA212) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990802110669A

## Narrative

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

ACFT CRASHED ON TAKE-OFF, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.4) ON AUGUST 2, 1999, ABOUT 1230 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-401, N15585, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THOMAS R. SUMMERSILL, INC., CRASHED DURING TAKEOFF WHILE ON A TITLE 14 CFR PART 137 AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD FLOWN SEVERAL OTHER FLIGHTS THAT MORNING. THE TEMPERATURE WAS RISING AND HE HAD BEEN LOWERING THE CHEMICAL LOADS FROM THE MAXIMUM OF 2,500 POUNDS, DUE TO THE RISING TEMPERATURE. AT 1230, WITH THE TEMPERATURE AT THE LANDING STRIP AT 103 DEGREES F, HE ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF. ABOUT 3/4 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY, THE AIRCRAFT WAS NO ACCELERATING AND HE ATTMEPTED TO DUMP THE CHEMICAL LOAD TO REDUCE WEIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT LIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY AND COLLIDED WITH 15-TO 20-FOOT BRUSH, TRAVELED FURTHER, AND SETTLED INTO A SECOND AREA OF BRUSH, WHERE IT CAME TO REST. HE STATED HE DID NOT HAVE ANY MECHANCIAL DIFFICULTIES WITH THE AIRCRAFT.

## 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 MIA99LA212](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA212), Aug 2, 1999: Air Tractor AT-401 (N15585), Moore Haven, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot exceeding the gross takeoff weight which reduced the climb capability and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the high temperature and the pilot's…

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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