Air Tractor AT-301 N8564S

Summary

On 11 June 2014 at about 01:41 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N8564S, operated by Semper Fi Aviation, LLC, was involved in an accident near Winner, South Dakota, 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

11 June 2014 at 01:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Winner, South Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Winner Regional Airport (ICR)

Coordinates

43.3903, -99.8422

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N8564S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Semper Fi Aviation, LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Winner → Winner

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA284

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper decision to attempt a takeoff with a tailwind and his failure to achieve the proper airspeed for liftoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and entering an aerodynamic stall shortly after liftoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting a local agricultural application flight. The pilot reported that shortly after liftoff from runway 31, at an altitude of 3-5 ft above the runway, he heard a loud bang and the airplane began to yaw left. The airplane descended and bounced off the left side of the runway. The pilot stated that he increased the airplane's pitch to gain altitude, but the airplane encountered an aerodynamic stall and the left wing dropped. As he attempted to dump the load of insecticide, the airplane nosed over into the ground and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage. A postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation during the flight. The engine, which separated from the airframe during impact, exhibited impact-related damage and no mechanical malfunctions. The surface wind at the time of the accident would have resulted in an 8-knot tailwind during the takeoff. The effect of the tailwind would have resulted in a greater groundspeed and additional runway length needed to attain the proper liftoff airspeed. The pilot likely conducted a premature liftoff at an inadequate airspeed, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and entering an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.