# NTSB CHI02LA221: Air Tractor 301, N3167P, Ulen, MN, July 26, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 26, 2002, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC) - Place: Ulen, MN - Coordinates: 47.069709, -96.249137 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.0697&lon=-96.2491&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report May 13, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA-Minneapolis, Minnesota-FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 55353 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI02LA221 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55353/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55353 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02LA221 ## Probable cause The pilot not performing an aborted takeoff. A factor was the soybean crop. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, takeoff - terrain condition - crop (contributing factor) - aborted takeoff - not performed, pilot in command (cause) - Nose over, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The airplane was damaged when it impacted into a soybean field and nosed over during takeoff from a private airstrip. In a written statement, the pilot stated, "Departed as normal, aircraft at midpoint didn't seem to accelerate normally. By the time I got done rechecking flaps, prop, mixture, [and] power, my booms caught the soybeans [and] pulled me down until I went inverted. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies. ## Factual narrative On July 26, 2002, at 1100 central daylight time, an Air Tractor 301, N3167P, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted into a soybean field and nosed over during takeoff from a private airstrip near Ulen, Minnesota. The grass runway at the airstrip was reported to be 1/2 mile long and 100 feet wide. The takeoff was performed to the west. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot received minor injuries. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. In a written statement, the pilot stated, "Departed as normal, aircraft at midpoint didn't seem to accelerate normally. By the time I got done rechecking flaps, prop, mixture, [and] power, my booms caught the soybeans [and] pulled me down until I went inverted." A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3167P](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3167P), registered now, S/N 301-0553, built 1984 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Air Tractor 301 - Registry model: [Air Tractor AT-301](https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-301) (registry code 0390103) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney R1340 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (registry code 52016, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 301-0553 - Airframe hours: 5382 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN2 600 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Ulen Aviation - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, May 16, 2002, 105 hours before - Departed: Ulen, MN - Airport: Private airstrip, runway 27, 2,500 × 100 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 49; injuries: minor; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review April 18, 2000; seat: center; flight hours: 7,500 total, 2,500 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 90° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 59 °F - Altimeter: 29.86 inHg - Observed at: DTL ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020726020039A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020726020039A), Jul 26, 2002: Airtrc AT301, Ulen, MN, No damage. (-23) Pilot stated during takeoff the aircraft did not achieve takeoff power. The aircraft started to fly then the right spray boom struck crops. The aircraft… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 25, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55353. 300 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 300 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40463877&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF 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. --- 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.