IMPERIAL, CA, USA
N7301P
Air Tractor AT301
The operator reported that the pilot attempted an unsuccessful takeoff from a 5,280-foot dirt strip. The operator reported that after the takeoff attempt, the aircraft struck an embankment just beyond the end of the runway and came to rest in a cotton field. Reported temperature at the time of the accident was 91 degrees Fahrenheit, and the density altitude was computed at 2,300 feet. The pilot stated that the aircraft had approximately 280 to 300 gallons of pesticide onboard and full fuel. He reported that the aircraft seemed sluggish and would not lift off the runway. The pilot stated that he made an unsuccessful attempt to jettison the load prior to the collision with the berm. The pilot reported that he attempted the takeoff from runway 26. The Imperial airport, 5 miles north-northeast, was reporting winds from 120 degrees at 11 knots at the time. A witness to the accident reported that as the aircraft went by him it was very loud and sounded as if it was operating at full power. The FAA inspected the aircraft on-scene and established flight control and engine continuity. No further discrepancies were noted. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical difficulties with the aircraft.
On March 23, 1998, at 1700 hours Pacific standard time, an Air Tractor AT301, N7301P, collided with a berm after takeoff from a private dirt strip 5 miles north-northeast of the Imperial, California, airport. The aircraft, operated by Visco Flying Company under 14 CFR 137 as an agricultural crop dusting operation, sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the flight and no flight plan was filed. Reported temperature at the time of the accident was 91 degrees Fahrenheit, and the density altitude was computed at 2,300 feet. In an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the San Diego, California, Flight Standards District Office, the pilot stated that the aircraft had approximately 280 to 300 gallons of pesticide onboard and full fuel. He reported that the aircraft seemed "sluggish" and would not lift off the runway. The pilot stated that he made an unsuccessful attempt to jettison the load, and that there were no mechanical difficulties noted with the aircraft. The operator reported that the pilot attempted an unsuccessful takeoff from a 5,280-foot dirt strip. The operator reported that after the takeoff attempt, the aircraft struck an embankment just beyond the end of the runway and came to rest in a cotton field. The pilot reported that he attempted the takeoff from runway 26. The Imperial airport, 5 miles north-northeast, was reporting winds from 120 degrees at 11 knots at the time. A witness to the accident reported that as the aircraft went by him it was very loud and sounded as if it was operating at full power. The FAA inspected the aircraft on-scene and established flight control and engine continuity. No further discrepancies were noted.
The pilot's selection of the wrong runway, which resulted in a downwind takeoff attempt, and, his failure to obtain/maintain a proper airspeed during the takeoff sequence. The aircraft's gross weight and the prevailing density altitude were factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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