# NTSB DFW05CA131: Air Tractor AT-402A, N198AS, Cherry Valley, AR, May 24, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: May 24, 2005, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC) - Place: Cherry Valley, AR - Coordinates: 35.370834, -90.756111 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.3708&lon=-90.7561&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 13, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 61566 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DFW05CA131 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61566/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05CA131 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to calculate take off-distance performance data, which resulted in insufficient runway length for take off. Factors were the tailwind and high gross weight. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - performance data - not calculated, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - tailwind (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, takeoff - terrain condition - dirt bank/rising embankment ## Analysis The 1,931-hour commercial pilot departed on his twenty-first flight of the day from a 2,200-foot-long and 70-foot-wide grass runway with a 22 knot tailwind. The airplane was loaded with less fuel and the same amount of fertilizer as the previous twenty flights, but the wind velocity had steadily increased throughout the day. The pilot said the airplane became airborne approximately 1,800 to 1,900 feet down the runway, but stayed in ground effect and subsequently struck two levees before it crossed a gravel road and impacted a ditch. The airplane eventually came to rest in a bean field. He said, "The tailwind and the load probably caused the airplane not to climb." The pilot also said that he did not calculate any take off performance data prior to departure. ## Factual narrative On May 24, 2005, approximately 1400 central daylight time, a tail wheel-equipped Air Tractor AT-402A agricultural airplane, N198AS, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during take off from a private airstrip near Cherry Valley, Arkansas. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual doing business as Runsick Flying Service, Wynne, Arkansas. No flight plan was filed for the local flight that was originating at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the aerial application flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. The 1,931-hour pilot stated that he departed on his twenty-first flight of the day from the 2,200-foot-long and 70-foot-wide grass runway with a 22 knot tailwind. The airplane was loaded with less fuel and the same amount of fertilizer as the previous twenty flights, but the wind velocity had steadily increased throughout the day. The pilot said the airplane became airborne approximately 1,800 to 1,900 feet down the runway, but stayed in ground effect and subsequently struck two levees before it crossed a gravel road and impacted a ditch. The airplane eventually came to rest in a bean field. He said, "The tailwind and the load probably caused the airplane not to climb." The pilot also said that he did not calculate any take off performance data prior to departure. Examination of the airplane by the pilot revealed that the main landing gear was separated from the fuselage, and the empennage aft of the cockpit sustained substantial damage. The left and right ailerons and flaps were also damaged. The pilot reported that due to 100-foot-tall trees located at the north end of the runway, most departures were made to the south. A windsock was located southwest of the airstrip on top of a 30-foot tall grain bin. He said the weather conditions at the time of the accident were winds variable between 360 and 020 degrees gusting to 22 knots, and a temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N198AS](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N198AS-2015-05-12), registration cancelled 2015-05-12, S/N 402A-1053, built 1998 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Air Tractor AT-402A - Registry model: [Air Tractor AT-402A](https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-402a) (registry code 0390206) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney PT6A series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (registry code 52034, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: AT402A-1053 - Airframe hours: 2582 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-11 550 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Runsick Flying Service - Registered owner: Michael Chad Runsick - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, January 1, 2005, 83 hours before - Departed: Cherry Valley, AR - Airport: NONE, Private, runway 18, 2,200 × 70 ft, dirt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 34; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review February 1, 2004; seat: center; flight hours: 1,931 total, 970 in this make and model, 1,860 as pilot in command, 85 in the last 90 days, 45 in the last 30 days, 8 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 12 knots, gusting 14 - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Temperature: 84 °F ## 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 20050524008829A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050524008829A), May 24, 2005: Airtrc AT402A, Cherry Valley, AR, Substantial damage. (-23) On may 24, 2005, at 1400 CDT, an air tractor AT-402A, N198AS, settled into the ground approximately 1/4 mile off the end of the runway while conducting a… 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.