What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
2020-08-16, Approximately 0800L, N997QC an agcat turbine aircraft with a full liquid chemical hopper, 360 gallons, was manned by the PIC to go spray herbicide on a local field. The line guy and PIC did not do a face to face clip board review with each other.
N997QC had an uneventful takeoff from the company private airstrip. Shortly after takeoff the line guy realized that he had hooked up the single point fuel, but had never turned on the pump. Believing it to be an emergent situation the line guy immediately called the aircraft. The PIC copied a crackling, broken, comm call picking out only; "don't drop the load". Faced with that partial information the PIC decided he needed to land. He thought about going to a fully prepared offsite airport, but then decided he had enough recency of experience to land the fully loaded hopper aircraft on this unprepared runway even though it would not be optimal in his mind.
The airstrip is 2000 feet long and 22 feet wide. Runway 18/36. The northern 700 feet is gravel, then there is an uprise joint to pavement for the 1300 feet to the south. This aircraft was landing to the south runway 18. Winds 20 miles to the south at kstc were 290/6. N997QC touched down in the gravel on a wheeled landing. Prior to the bump transition to asphalt, the PIC had lowered the tail, pulled full aft stick and pulled the turbine to reverse. He believed he had a right xwind at 5 knots, it may have been slight right quartering using prevalent reported winds within 20 miles. At the transition point, bump, to the asphalt the aircraft began a pitch oscillation. This oscillation built, with the prop in reverse the PIC did not have good steering control, the aircraft drifted to the right and after 300 feet on pavement it departed the right side of the runway. There was a slight down slope to a soft field and the 25 foot grass shoulder prior to the field was littered with gopher holes, lending soft spots. After 300 feet off road, the aircraft flipped in the soft field, nose down, tail over, and upside down the chemical started dumping on the ground and around the pilot.
The pilot egressed the inverted aircraft uninjured and stated that he had to throw away his boots for chemical exposure. The epa came out and specific amounts of soil were removed.
Both left wings of the biplane were damaged, as were the tail section, and the central struts above the fuselage. In addition prop strike damage was visible.
If the aircraft touched down 200 feet from the runway edge, it had 500 feet of gravel rollout, 300 feet on the asphalt, and 300 feet off road before coming to rest at the mishap location site.
As the FAA filed it
2020-08-16, APPROXIMATELY 0800L, N997QC AN AGCAT TURBINE AIRCRAFT WITH A FULL LIQUID CHEMICAL HOPPER, 360 GALLONS, WAS MANNED BY THE PIC TO GO SPRAY HERBICIDE ON A LOCAL FIELD. THE LINE GUY AND PIC DID NOT DO A FACE TO FACE CLIP BOARD REVIEW WITH EACH OTHER.
N997QC HAD AN UNEVENTFUL TAKEOFF FROM THE COMPANY PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE LINE GUY REALIZED THAT HE HAD HOOKED UP THE SINGLE POINT FUEL, BUT HAD NEVER TURNED ON THE PUMP. BELIEVING IT TO BE AN EMERGENT SITUATION THE LINE GUY IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE AIRCRAFT. THE PIC COPIED A CRACKLING, BROKEN, COMM CALL PICKING OUT ONLY; "DON'T DROP THE LOAD". FACED WITH THAT PARTIAL INFORMATION THE PIC DECIDED HE NEEDED TO LAND. HE THOUGHT ABOUT GOING TO A FULLY PREPARED OFFSITE AIRPORT, BUT THEN DECIDED HE HAD ENOUGH RECENCY OF EXPERIENCE TO LAND THE FULLY LOADED HOPPER AIRCRAFT ON THIS UNPREPARED RUNWAY EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD NOT BE OPTIMAL IN HIS MIND.
THE AIRSTRIP IS 2000 FEET LONG AND 22 FEET WIDE. RUNWAY 18/36. THE NORTHERN 700 FEET IS GRAVEL, THEN THERE IS AN UPRISE JOINT TO PAVEMENT FOR THE 1300 FEET TO THE SOUTH. THIS AIRCRAFT WAS LANDING TO THE SOUTH RUNWAY 18. WINDS 20 MILES TO THE SOUTH AT KSTC WERE 290/6. N997QC TOUCHED DOWN IN THE GRAVEL ON A WHEELED LANDING. PRIOR TO THE BUMP TRANSITION TO ASPHALT, THE PIC HAD LOWERED THE TAIL, PULLED FULL AFT STICK AND PULLED THE TURBINE TO REVERSE. HE BELIEVED HE HAD A RIGHT XWIND AT 5 KNOTS, IT MAY HAVE BEEN SLIGHT RIGHT QUARTERING USING PREVALENT REPORTED WINDS WITHIN 20 MILES. AT THE TRANSITION POINT, BUMP, TO THE ASPHALT THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN A PITCH OSCILLATION. THIS OSCILLATION BUILT, WITH THE PROP IN REVERSE THE PIC DID NOT HAVE GOOD STEERING CONTROL, THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTED TO THE RIGHT AND AFTER 300 FEET ON PAVEMENT IT DEPARTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THERE WAS A SLIGHT DOWN SLOPE TO A SOFT FIELD AND THE 25 FOOT GRASS SHOULDER PRIOR TO THE FIELD WAS LITTERED WITH GOPHER HOLES, LENDING SOFT SPOTS. AFTER 300 FEET OFF ROAD, THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED IN THE SOFT FIELD, NOSE DOWN, TAIL OVER, AND UPSIDE DOWN THE CHEMICAL STARTED DUMPING ON THE GROUND AND AROUND THE PILOT.
THE PILOT EGRESSED THE INVERTED AIRCRAFT UNINJURED AND STATED THAT HE HAD TO THROW AWAY HIS BOOTS FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE. THE EPA CAME OUT AND SPECIFIC AMOUNTS OF SOIL WERE REMOVED.
BOTH LEFT WINGS OF THE BIPLANE WERE DAMAGED, AS WERE THE TAIL SECTION, AND THE CENTRAL STRUTS ABOVE THE FUSELAGE. IN ADDITION PROP STRIKE DAMAGE WAS VISIBLE.
IF THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN 200 FEET FROM THE RUNWAY EDGE, IT HAD 500 FEET OF GRAVEL ROLLOUT, 300 FEET ON THE ASPHALT, AND 300 FEET OFF ROAD BEFORE COMING TO REST AT THE MISHAP LOCATION SITE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.