- Date
- January 9, 2021, 14:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Cushing, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4540CAir Tractor AT-502
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210109004429A
- Case key
- 102517
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to takeoff from unsuitable terrain which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with terrain.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he intended to depart from a soft, muddy runway and was having a difficult time becoming airborne. When the airplane reached a spot of the runway that was not as muddy, the airplane “popped out of the mud” and reached an altitude of about 30 ft above the ground. Before he could lower the nose to gain airspeed, the left wing stalled and the airplane impacted the surrounding terrain resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, tail, and both wings. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4540C
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 502-0119
- Built
- 1991
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Skyler Blue LLC
- Registered owner
- Skyler Blue LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Restricted (Special)
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- PVT · Private
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 6, 2020
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,198.8 total · 666.2 in this make and model · 1,145.8 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.33 inHg
- Observed at
- KCUH, 2 nm away
- METAR
- KCUH 092115Z AUTO 03003KT 10SM CLR 06/M02 A3033 RMK AO2 T00611020
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 17, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4540C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.