Air Tractor AT-502 N9185C

Summary

On 9 July 1998 at about 02:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502 registered N9185C was involved in an accident near Minto, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 July 1998 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Minto, North Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Minto Municipal (D06)

Coordinates

48.2891, -97.3709

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502

Registration

N9185C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CHI98LA243

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff. Factors were wet and soft runway conditions, and a ditch and the end of the overrun area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that the first 700 feet of the takeoff runway was concrete and the remaining 1,600 feet was wet turf. He said that during the takeoff roll on the wet turf the left main landing gear tire encountered a 'soft rut' and the airplane yawed to the left. He indicated that his head hit the roll-bar. By the time he recovered, the airplane had slowed to the point that it impacted a ditch at the end of the runway and nosed over. The pilot did not indicate any mechanical problems with the airplane and said that the engine power remained 'full' throughout the takeoff roll.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.