20210901011429A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Air Tractor AT-401B · Storm Lake, IA · September 1, 2021

Date
September 1, 2021 · 08:30 local
Place
Storm Lake, IA
Airport
Storm Lake Municipal
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
PFUG
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N5081W
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN21LA393
Reported as
Air Tractor AT-401B
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney R1340 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,206 total143 in this make and model263 in the last 90 days

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.

Pilot stated that the grass runway which runs parallel to runway 31 was wet with dew and the braking action was poor. Pilot stated that he left the flaps at full for increased aero braking and applied the main landing gear brakes. Approximately 400 feet before the paved taxiway the pilot made a correction with the rudder in an attempt to aim across the taxiway to the narrow grass area on the other side of the taxiway. He continued on to the taxiway with the brakes locked up once the main landing gear tires got on to the pavement the nose of the aircraft began to come down and the aircraft flipped over and came to rest on it's canopy and rudder.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED THAT THE GRASS RUNWAY WHICH RUNS PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 31 WAS WET WITH DEW AND THE BRAKING ACTION WAS POOR. PILOT STATED THAT HE LEFT THE FLAPS AT FULL FOR INCREASED AERO BRAKING AND APPLIED THE MAIN LANDING GEAR BRAKES. APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET BEFORE THE PAVED TAXIWAY THE PILOT MADE A CORRECTION WITH THE RUDDER IN AN ATTEMPT TO AIM ACROSS THE TAXIWAY TO THE NARROW GRASS AREA ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TAXIWAY. HE CONTINUED ON TO THE TAXIWAY WITH THE BRAKES LOCKED UP ONCE THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRES GOT ON TO THE PAVEMENT THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO COME DOWN AND THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER AND CAME TO REST ON IT'S CANOPY AND RUDDER.

NTSB investigation

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