Air Tractor AT 401 N4549E

Summary

On 9 June 2015 at about 22:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT 401 registered N4549E was involved in an accident near Wall, 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

9 June 2015 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wall, South Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip (NONE)

Coordinates

44.1067, -102.3481

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT 401

Registration

N4549E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1990

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wall → Wall

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA15CA117

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to adjust the airplane's useful load to compensate for the high temperature, which resulted in an insufficient climb rate to clear surrounding terrain, and a runway excursion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during takeoff from a private grass airstrip, the airplane would not climb above terrain at the end of the runway and impacted the ground coming to rest in a wheat field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, right aileron, and fuselage. The pilot reported the outside air temperature at the time of the accident was 91 degrees Fahrenheit and the airplane was loaded near its maximum gross takeoff weight of 6,000 pounds. The pilot stated, "The load was too heavy for the weather conditions at this time". The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.