- Date
- March 23, 1998, 17:00 local (Mar 24, 1998, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Imperial, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N7301PAir Tractor AT301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980323011539A
- Case key
- 30060
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 selection of the wrong runway, which resulted in a downwind takeoff attempt, and, his failure to obtain/maintain a proper airspeed during the takeoff sequence. The aircraft's gross weight and the prevailing density altitude were factors in the accident.
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 operator reported that the pilot attempted an unsuccessful takeoff from a 5,280-foot dirt strip. The operator reported that after the takeoff attempt, the aircraft struck an embankment just beyond the end of the runway and came to rest in a cotton field. Reported temperature at the time of the accident was 91 degrees Fahrenheit, and the density altitude was computed at 2,300 feet. The pilot stated that the aircraft had approximately 280 to 300 gallons of pesticide onboard and full fuel. He reported that the aircraft seemed sluggish and would not lift off the runway. The pilot stated that he made an unsuccessful attempt to jettison the load prior to the collision with the berm. The pilot reported that he attempted the takeoff from runway 26. The Imperial airport, 5 miles north-northeast, was reporting winds from 120 degrees at 11 knots at the time. A witness to the accident reported that as the aircraft went by him it was very loud and sounded as if it was operating at full power. The FAA inspected the aircraft on-scene and established flight control and engine continuity. No further discrepancies were noted. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical difficulties with the aircraft.
Factual narrative
On March 23, 1998, at 1700 hours Pacific standard time, an Air Tractor AT301, N7301P, collided with a berm after takeoff from a private dirt strip 5 miles north-northeast of the Imperial, California, airport. The aircraft, operated by Visco Flying Company under 14 CFR 137 as an agricultural crop dusting operation, sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the flight and no flight plan was filed. Reported temperature at the time of the accident was 91 degrees Fahrenheit, and the density altitude was computed at 2,300 feet.
In an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the San Diego, California, Flight Standards District Office, the pilot stated that the aircraft had approximately 280 to 300 gallons of pesticide onboard and full fuel. He reported that the aircraft seemed "sluggish" and would not lift off the runway. The pilot stated that he made an unsuccessful attempt to jettison the load, and that there were no mechanical difficulties noted with the aircraft.
The operator reported that the pilot attempted an unsuccessful takeoff from a 5,280-foot dirt strip. The operator reported that after the takeoff attempt, the aircraft struck an embankment just beyond the end of the runway and came to rest in a cotton field.
The pilot reported that he attempted the takeoff from runway 26. The Imperial airport, 5 miles north-northeast, was reporting winds from 120 degrees at 11 knots at the time.
A witness to the accident reported that as the aircraft went by him it was very loud and sounded as if it was operating at full power.
The FAA inspected the aircraft on-scene and established flight control and engine continuity. No further discrepancies were noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7301P
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 301-0588
- Airframe hours
- 8,000
- Engine
- P&W R1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Visco Flying Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 27, 1997 · 5 hours before
- Airport
- Private Dirt Strip, runway 26, 5,280 × 80 ft, dirt
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
- 67
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IPL, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.