- Date
- May 13, 1985, 15:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Rapelje, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N44260Piper PA-36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850513016409A
- Case key
- 16676
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft settled back to ground contact after reaching an alt (EST by the plt) of 60 ft AGL during takeoff initial climb. The plt stated that he recognized the acft was settling toward the ground & noticed a dissipation of airspeed. The plt said that he then 'elected to hold load as long as possible before dumping. I dumped the load 20 ft above the point where I knew I was going to impact the ground.' The density alt was computed to be 4700 ft (arpt fle 3800 ft) by the iic. In the area of the plts report reserved for reccommendations for prevention (of this accident type) the plt wrote 'I believe that I got into a situation known as'region of reverse command.'' The definition of this phenomenondescribes an aerodynamic situation in which the total drag of the acft increases as the airspeed decreases. This drag increases to a point where insufficient power is available to maintain altitude. The plt also reported that the acft load consisted of 200 gallons of 2,4,d & roundup, in addition to 55 gallons of aviation fuel on board.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44260
- Reported as
- Piper PA-36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 376460028
- Airframe hours
- 2,050
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-A1B, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Michael Visser
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 3, 1985 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- NA · MT
- Airport
- runway 22, 2,600 × 50 ft, grass/turf
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,881 total · 500 in this make and model · 1,798 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.