Air Tractor AT-502 N45453

Summary

On 2 August 2023 at about 11:20 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502 registered N45453, operated by Airborne Custom Spraying, was involved in an accident near Halstad, Minnesota, 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

2 August 2023 at 11:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Halstad, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Aslesen (8MN2)

Coordinates

47.2100, -96.4900

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502

Registration

N45453

Category

Airplane

Year built

1991

Engines

1

Operator

Airborne Custom Spraying

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Halstad → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA346

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s attempt to rotate the airplane without sufficient airspeed which resulted in a lack of climb performance and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to attempt the takeoff with a tailwind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that after loading about 100 gallons of jet fuel and about 420 gallons of aerial spray product, he began a takeoff roll on the 2,506 ft asphalt runway. The pilot attempted to rotate the airplane with about 300 ft of runway remaining. Unable to climb out of ground effect, the pilot attempted to jettison the aerial spray product during and after takeoff. The airplane was airborne for about 200 yards before it settled into the soybean field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, empennage, and fuselage. During an interview, the pilot stated that he took off with a tailwind with one notch of flaps and remembers over torquing the engine. He reported that he likely rotated too soon, was slow, and never got out of ground effect. The pilot reported, and a postaccident examination corroborated that, there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.