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20120922021699A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Air Tractor AT-502 · Firebaugh, CA · September 22, 2012

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 22, 2012 · 17:15 local
Place
Firebaugh, CA
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
T9DG
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N4556S
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR12LA433
Reported as
Air Tractor AT-502
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
10,837 total819 in this make and model119 in the last 90 days
N4556SRegistration cancelled Jan 4, 2018 · Air Tractor AT-502S/N 502-0137 · Built 1991Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-502Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A seriesTurbo-prop

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.

At aproximately 5:10 pm the pilot was departing a private agriculteral airstrip for the first spraying application for the day. The aircraft was full of fuel and had approximately 400 gallons of chemical to be sprayed on board. The pilot had not asked the ground crew to fill the aircraft fuel tanks. The pilot made the decision to takeoff knowing the aircraft had full fuel and 400 gallons of chemical on board. On departure the pilot felt the aircraft was not producing sufficient power and was taking longer than normal to become airborne. The pilot selected full flaps to assist with the takeoff and soon after becoming airborne determined the aircraft was not able to continue flight. The pilot initiated an emergency dump of the chemicals to recover the aircraft to a more favorable weight and aircraft configuration. The aircraft pitched up to an unknown angle and stalled. While stalled and still in a forward motion the aircraft passed through two of the three powerlines one half mile east of the departure airport. The aircraft impacted the ground approximately 400 feet east of the powerlines and came to rest 200 feet beyond the initial impact site. The pilot was not injured and removed himself from the aircraft after shutting off the fuel and battery sources. The company had been waiting for the right conditions to spray a cotton field with defoliant and this day the conditions were correct for spraying. The pilot stated the wind was from the north east at approximately 2-3 knots and the temperature was about 89 degrees.

As the FAA filed it

AT APROXIMATELY 5:10 PM THE PILOT WAS DEPARTING A PRIVATE AGRICULTERAL AIRSTRIP FOR THE FIRST SPRAYING APPLICATION FOR THE DAY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FULL OF FUEL AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 400 GALLONS OF CHEMICAL TO BE SPRAYED ON BOARD. THE PILOT HAD NOT ASKED THE GROUND CREW TO FILL THE AIRCRAFT FUEL TANKS. THE PILOT MADE THE DECISION TO TAKEOFF KNOWING THE AIRCRAFT HAD FULL FUEL AND 400 GALLONS OF CHEMICAL ON BOARD. ON DEPARTURE THE PILOT FELT THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT PRODUCING SUFFICIENT POWER AND WAS TAKING LONGER THAN NORMAL TO BECOME AIRBORNE. THE PILOT SELECTED FULL FLAPS TO ASSIST WITH THE TAKEOFF AND SOON AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE DETERMINED THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTINUE FLIGHT. THE PILOT INITIATED AN EMERGENCY DUMP OF THE CHEMICALS TO RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT TO A MORE FAVORABLE WEIGHT AND AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATION. THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED UP TO AN UNKNOWN ANGLE AND STALLED. WHILE STALLED AND STILL IN A FORWARD MOTION THE AIRCRAFT PASSED THROUGH TWO OF THE THREE POWERLINES ONE HALF MILE EAST OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET EAST OF THE POWERLINES AND CAME TO REST 200 FEET BEYOND THE INITIAL IMPACT SITE. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED AND REMOVED HIMSELF FROM THE AIRCRAFT AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE FUEL AND BATTERY SOURCES.THE COMPANY HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THE RIGHT CONDITIONS TO SPRAY A COTTON FIELD WITH DEFOLIANT AND THIS DAY THE CONDITIONS WERE CORRECT FOR SPRAYING. THE PILOT STATED THE WIND WAS FROM THE NORTH EAST AT APPROXIMATELY 2-3 KNOTS AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 89 DEGREES.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR12LA433Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportFirebaugh, CAThe pilot’s decision to continue the takeoff after the engine stopped producing its full-rated torque while operating in high-density altitude conditions and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from the power transmission wires.Sep 22, 2012 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N4556S · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20030309002789ILow Level Operations · Firebaugh, CA(-23) After a hurried preflight, during which an accurate determination of onboard fuel quantity was not accomplished, the aircraft was operated for approximately 1.5 hours. After completing the spray application the pilot banked left to return for landing…Mar 9, 2003 · Substantial damage