Air Tractor AT-301 N8587S

Summary

On 7 July 2009 at about 17:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N8587S, operated by Ag-Flight Inc, was involved in an accident near Brinson, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 July 2009 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Brinson, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Decatur County Industrial Air (BGE)

Coordinates

30.9461, -84.7239

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N8587S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ag-Flight Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bainbridge → Bainbridge

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA385

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was progressing with his aerial application training. He was supposed to depart the airport, perform steep turns and flight at minimum controllable airspeed, drop water at a designated spot about 3/4 mile from the airport, and return for landing. The airplane was observed about 5 miles west of the airport, in level flight from north to south. The airplane then made a left U-turn and flew from south to north. The airplane made another left turn, toward the west, and started climbing. The airplane then released water and instantly began a fast spiral straight down to the ground, with the water following. Witnesses heard loud, continuous engine noise throughout the accident sequence and several examinations of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The pilot received his private pilot certificate about 5 weeks prior to the accident and had conducted his previous training in an airplane with less than one-third the horsepower and one-half the weight-carrying capacity as the accident airplane. The pilot had accumulated 2 hours of flight experience in the accident airplane when the accident occurred. Additionally, both airplanes displayed a tendency to pitch up during a water drop maneuver, though the accident airplane displayed this characteristic more severely due to its higher weight. This tendency would require a pilot to aggressively push the flight control stick forward, near the stop, to counteract the force.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.