Air Tractor AT 502B N6180J

Summary

On 27 May 2018 at about 17:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT 502B registered N6180J, operated by Dannys Air Agri Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Qulin, Missouri, 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

27 May 2018 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Qulin, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Private (PVT)

Coordinates

36.5572, -90.2047

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT 502B

Registration

N6180J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1995

Engines

1

Operator

Dannys Air Agri Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Qulin → Qulin

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA194

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper weight-and-balance calculations and his decision to take off with the airplane at a high gross weight in high density altitude conditions, which resulted in an attempted takeoff that exceeded the airplane’s performance capability. Also causal was the pilot’s failure to abort the takeoff while sufficient runway remained.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the agricultural airplane was loaded with 2,700 lbs of product and 130 to 140 gallons of fuel. He stated that the engine gauges had normal indications but that, during the takeoff, the airplane's tailwheel was still on the ground when the airplane was about 3/4 down the runway, and the airplane did not become airborne before the end of the runway. When the airplane reached the end of the runway, he applied full flaps to "jump" a drainage ditch at the end. The airplane then impacted the ground on the opposite side of the ditch and incurred substantial damage to the wings, landing gear, aft fuselage, and tail surfaces. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the reported fuel and product load on board, the airplane's calculated gross weight was about 523-574 lbs over the airplane's maximum gross weight. In addition, the density altitude at the time of the accident was about 2,200 ft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.