20040622014099A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Airtrc AT-502B · Crowley, LA · June 22, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: June 22, 2004 · 13:00 local
Place: Crowley, LA
Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: SDMG
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N60713
Reported as: Airtrc AT502B
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A11AG
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 20,875 total6,200 in this make and model300 in the last 90 days

N60713Registered now · Air Tractor AT-502BS/N 502B0277 · Built 1995 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-502B Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Just after take-off (approximately .5 miles from strip) @ 75 feet altitude, aircraft started to settle. The aircraft initially touched down in a saturated rice field and traveled approximately 40' and impacted a bank in between another rice field, the aircrafts nose impacted the bank which resulted in the propeller and front section of engine gear box to separate. The aircraft then was airborne for 40', touched down again on its nose and flipped over on its top. The wings and fuselage were still intact with substantial damage to nose section and vertical stabilizer. No fuel was visible in fuel tanks, no fuel odor was present. All engine and flight controls had continuity, firewall fuel filter had very small amount of fuel contained in it.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) JUST AFTER TAKE-OFF (APPROXIMATELY .5 MILES FROM STRIP) @ 75 FEET ALTITUDE, AIRCRAFT STARTED TO SETTLE. THE AIRCRAFT INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN IN A SATURATED RICE FIELD AND TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 40' AND IMPACTED A BANK IN BETWEEN ANOTHER RICE FIELD, THE AIRCRAFTS NOSE IMPACTED THE BANK WHICH RESULTED IN THE PROPELLER AND FRONT SECTION OF ENGINE GEAR BOX TO SEPARATE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN WAS AIRBORNE FOR 40', TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN ON ITS NOSE AND FLIPPED OVER ON ITS TOP. THE WINGS AND FUSELAGE WERE STILL INTACT WITH SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO NOSE SECTION AND VERTICAL STABILIZER. NO FUEL WAS VISIBLE IN FUEL TANKS, NO FUEL ODOR WAS PRESENT. ALL ENGINE AND FLIGHT CONTROLS HAD CONTINUITY, FIREWALL FUEL FILTER HAD VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL CONTAINED IN IT.