Air Tractor AT-502B N6050D
18 April 1996 · Pond Creek, Oklahoma, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 April 1996 at about 22:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B registered N6050D, operated by Homestead Farms Flying Service, was involved in an accident near Pond Creek, Oklahoma, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Pond Creek, Oklahoma, United States
- Nearest airport
- Homestead Farms (OK72)
- Coordinates
- 36.6600, -97.7998
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Registration
- N6050D
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Homestead Farms Flying Service
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW96LA177
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper planning/decision and failure to obtain/maintain sufficient airspeed to climb after takeoff, which resulted in a stall/mush and subsequent collision with terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: failure of the pilot to follow short field takeoff procedures, and his delay in jettisoning the chemical load.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, he had routinely flown off the 2,800 foot runway with a similar load; however, on this takeoff, the airplane was not airborne at the usual place. The pilot attempted to dump the chemical load, but he missed the dump handle. After reaching the end of the runway, the airplane became airborne, crossed a ravine where the ground dropped off approximately 30 feet into a creek bed, and impacted terrain on the far side of the creek. The pilot reported that he normally followed the manufacturer's recommended short field takeoff procedure, which called for the use of a 10 degree flap setting; however, he indicated that he might not have used the flaps on the accident flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-502B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 1998 | Air Tractor AT-502B | Portales, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 1998 | Air Tractor AT-502B | Lake Village, Arkansas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 1998 | Air Tractor AT-502B | Ringling, Oklahoma, United States | Superior Ag-Air, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 May 1998 | Air Tractor AT-502B | Parkin, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 1998 | Air Tractor AT-502B | Edna, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 1999 | Air Tractor AT-502B | Anguilla, Mississippi, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jan 1996 | Cessna A188B | Enid, Oklahoma, United States | Carson Flying Service, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 16 May 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-520N | Bethany, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1996 | Cessna 172N | Norman, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 1996 | Bell 206B | Cushing, Oklahoma, United States | Corporate Helicopters, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Mar 1996 | Bell B206-BIII | Chandler, Oklahoma, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 1996 | Deaton JUNGSTER-1 | McAlester, Oklahoma, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |