# Accident 20200919012669A: Air Tractor Inc AT-402, Somerton, AZ, September 19, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 19, 2020, 20:20 local time
- Place: Somerton, AZ
- Airport: Tri-Rotor Ag Services Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: 72TG
- Location: 32.5572° N, 114.6842° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.5572&lon=-114.6842&mi=10
- Aircraft: N45027, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N45027-2022-05-09) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-402 (registry code 0390205, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-402) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot, student
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR20CA313](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR20CA313) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200919012669A

## Narrative

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

ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 20:20 LOCAL TIME, AIRCRAFT N45027, CRASHED OFF OF THE END OF THE RUNWAY AT SOMERTON AZ. (AZ25). UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO PERFORM A NIGHT FLIGHT TRAINING OPERATION. THE PILOT HAD FLOWN THE AIRCRAFT EARLIER THAT DAY FROM KANSAS TO SOMERTON AZ., WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PILOT, THE GROUND CREW HAD FILLED THE HOPPER TANK FULL WITH A CLEANING MIXTURE OF WATER AND BLEACH IN PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT DAY?S AG FLIGHT. WHEN THE PILOT ACCOMPLISHED THE PREFLIGHT AND LOOKED AT THE SIGHT GLASS IT APPEARED THAT THE HOPPER WAS EMPTY, AS THE FLUID WAS CLEAR AND ABOVE THE TOP LINE OF THE SIGHT GLASS. AT TAKEOFF THE PILOT APPLIED PARTIAL POWER BECAUSE HE BELIEVED THE AIRCRAFT TO BE EMPTY AND FULL POWER WOULD NOT BE NECESSARY WITH AN EMPTY AIRCRAFT GIVEN THE LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY. THE RUNWAY AT SOMERTON IS APPROXIMATELY 2500 FEET AND IS A SAND AND DIRT RUNWAY. ON TAKEOFF ROLL THE PILOT REALIZED THAT HE WAS NOT ACHIEVING TAKE-OFF SPEED SO HE APPLIED FULL POWER. ONCE THE PILOT RECOGNIZED THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE TAKE-OFF, HE PULLED POWER BACK TO IDLE AND APPLIED BRAKES, HOWEVER COULD NOT STOP THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE CRASHING INTO THE TREES AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM THE WRECKAGE PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT BEING TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE.

AIRCRAFT N45027 IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. DURING AN INTERVIEW, THE 14 CFR PART 137 OWNER/OPERATOR, STATED THAT THE COMPANY CONDUCTED THEIR OWN SAFETY INVESTIGATION AND AS A RESULT WILL BE IMPLEMENTING A ?LOCK OUT, TAG OUT? PROCEDURE FOR THE GROUND CREW TO ALERT THE PILOT OF ANY CONFIGURATION CHANGES TO THE AIRCRAFT.

THE PILOT HAS RECEIVED ADDITIONAL TRAINING FROM THE OPERATOR PRIOR TO BEING RETURNED TO FLY AGAIN FOR TRI-ROTOR. THE PILOT WAS INTERVIEWED BY ANOTHER INSPECTOR AND BASED UPON CONVERSATIONS AFTER, THE INSPECTOR STATED, COUNSELING OF THE PILOT WOULD BE DOCUMENTED IN A SEPARATE RECORD.

## 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 WPR20CA313](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR20CA313), Sep 20, 2020: Air Tractor AT 402 (N45027), Somerton, AZ, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to use full power during takeoff and his delayed decision to abort the takeoff, which resulted in a runway overrun and subsequent impact with terrain.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.