Air Tractor AT-502B N5010E

Summary

On 23 July 2004 at about 12:20 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B registered N5010E, operated by Douglas Thiel, was involved in an accident near Mendota, California, 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.

Date

23 July 2004 at 12:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Mendota, California, United States

Nearest airport

Agricultural airstrip

Coordinates

36.7536, -120.3806

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502B

Registration

N5010E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Douglas Thiel

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mendota → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA275

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight/pretakeoff procedure by not lowering the wing flaps, which resulted in an inadvertent stall as the pilot attempted to climb out of ground effect to clear a corn crop at the end of the runway. A factor in the accident was the failure, for undetermined reasons, of the flaps to deploy during the takeoff roll when the pilot moved the switch.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with high vegetation and terrain during the initial climb from a dirt airstrip on an agricultural application flight. Prior to takeoff, the pilot failed to lower the wing flaps to the 10-degree setting that he had utilized on his previous takeoffs from the airstrip. While on the takeoff roll, the pilot realized that he had not configured the airplane with the flap setting he was accustomed to using, and he attempted to extend the flaps. Despite his attempts, the flaps remained in the retracted position for undetermined reasons. With about 20 feet of runway remaining, the pilot attempted to release the load. However, he tried but failed to deploy the cargo dump handle. The airplane lifted off the runway but was unable to gain enough altitude to clear the nearby 5- to 6-foot-tall corn crop. After impacting the corn, the airplane stalled, impacted the ground, and cartwheeled three times before coming to a stop inverted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.