Piper PA-36 N44260

Summary

On 13 May 1985 at about 21:15 local time, a Piper PA-36 registered N44260 was involved in an accident near Rapelje, Montana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

13 May 1985 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Rapelje, Montana, United States

Coordinates

45.9500, -109.2697

Aircraft

Piper PA-36

Registration

N44260

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

DEN85LA133

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT SETTLED BACK TO GROUND CONTACT AFTER REACHING AN ALT (EST BY THE PLT) OF 60 FT AGL DURING TAKEOFF INITIAL CLIMB. THE PLT STATED THAT HE RECOGNIZED THE ACFT WAS SETTLING TOWARD THE GROUND & NOTICED A DISSIPATION OF AIRSPEED. THE PLT SAID THAT HE THEN 'ELECTED TO HOLD LOAD AS LONG AS POSSIBLE BEFORE DUMPING. I DUMPED THE LOAD 20 FT ABOVE THE POINT WHERE I KNEW I WAS GOING TO IMPACT THE GROUND.' THE DENSITY ALT WAS COMPUTED TO BE 4700 FT (ARPT FLE 3800 FT) BY THE IIC. IN THE AREA OF THE PLTS REPORT RESERVED FOR RECCOMMENDATIONS FOR PREVENTION (OF THIS ACCIDENT TYPE) THE PLT WROTE 'I BELIEVE THAT I GOT INTO A SITUATION KNOWN AS'REGION OF REVERSE COMMAND.'' THE DEFINITION OF THIS PHENOMENONDESCRIBES AN AERODYNAMIC SITUATION IN WHICH THE TOTAL DRAG OF THE ACFT INCREASES AS THE AIRSPEED DECREASES. THIS DRAG INCREASES TO A POINT WHERE INSUFFICIENT POWER IS AVAILABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THE PLT ALSO REPORTED THAT THE ACFT LOAD CONSISTED OF 200 GALLONS OF 2,4,D & ROUNDUP, IN ADDITION TO 55 GALLONS OF AVIATION FUEL ON BOARD.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.