Air Tractor AT-602 N260LA

Summary

On 25 May 2025 at about 16:14 local time, a Air Tractor AT-602 registered N260LA, operated by Gibbs Aero Spray, was involved in an accident near Fremont, Ohio, 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

25 May 2025 at 16:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Fremont, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Gibbs Fiel (03OH)

Coordinates

41.4157, -83.0185

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-602

Registration

N260LA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Gibbs Aero Spray

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA212

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate takeoff performance planning, which resulted in a runway overrun and collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the aerial application airplane reported that the airplane was near its maximum gross weight with chemicals and fuel onboard. He attempted to take off from a turf and asphalt runway that was 2,650 ft long, beginning with asphalt and then becoming turf about one-third down the runway. The pilot further stated that all engine parameters looked normal during the takeoff roll, but when he attempted to rotate, the airplane did not leave the ground. As the airplane neared the end of the runway, he “pulled” the airplane into the air to clear an 8-ft dike at the end of the runway. The airplane cleared the dike but then settled into a marshy area beyond it, contacting trees and coming to rest upright. The airplane’s fuselage and empennage were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that in the future, when winds are variable, it would be wise to re-assess airplane loading.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.