Ayres S2R-R1340 N4020A

Summary

On 7 September 2012 at about 02:00 local time, a Ayres S2R-R1340 registered N4020A, operated by Farm Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Brawley, California, 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

7 September 2012 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Brawley, California, United States

Coordinates

33.0675, -115.4086

Aircraft

Ayres S2R-R1340

Registration

N4020A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Farm Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brawley → Brawley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12CA403

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's decision to attempt to takeoff in high temperatures with a tailwind. Contributing to the accident was the sun glare.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he did not notice that the wind shifted while he was reloading product for an agricultural application flight. As a result, he erroneously attempted a downwind takeoff with an outside temperature estimated at 106 degrees Fahrenheit. The pilot said that when the airplane lifted off he was looking directly into the setting sun. He further stated that the sun’s position made it difficult to judge his position on the runway. The airplane impacted a ditch on the west end of the runway and nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported no abnormalities with the airplane before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.