Air Tractor AT-602 N5035R

Summary

On 4 June 2015 at about 20:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-602 registered N5035R, operated by Richard Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Branch, Louisiana, 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

4 June 2015 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Branch, Louisiana, United States

Nearest airport

Mid South Flying Service Landi (PVT)

Coordinates

30.3390, -92.2590

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-602

Registration

N5035R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1997

Engines

1

Operator

Richard Flying Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Branch → Branch

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA276

Nobody was injured.

An exceedance of the airplane's takeoff/climb capability, which resulted in a stall during initial climb at an altitude that was too low for recovery.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was departing in tailwind conditions on an aerial application flight from a 1,800-foot-long turf runway with a full payload of fertilizer. The pilot stated that the engine lost power during initial climb and that he had insufficient time to dump the payload before impacting a pond off the end of the runway. Examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. According to the airplane manufacturer's calculations, the calculated takeoff distance given the conditions present at the time of the accident exceeded the runway length available; however, the airplane's performance specifications were not available in the POH, which precluded the pilot from conducting performance calculations before takeoff. It is likely that, as the airplane neared the end of the runway, the pilot lifted the airplane off the ground prematurely and attempted to climb at a steep attitude, which exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.