The pilot stated that on the day of the accident he had sprayed 13 loads of fertilizer and was beginning the 14th load when the accident occurred.
He informed the loading crew to load 400 gallons of fertilizer, which was the same amount that he had used on the previous flights.
The pilot initiated the takeoff and the Ayres Corp. S2R T-34 became airborne, but was unable to gain enough altitude to clear the corn crop at the end of the airstrip in Wilmont, Ark.
The plane received substantial damage to the fuselage when it settled into the corn.
The pilot reported that after the accident, it was determined that the hopper had been filled with 480 gallons of fertilizer.
The pilot stated that since he cannot see how much fertilizer was loaded from his seat, he has to trust the loading crew to properly load the fertilizer.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s failure to verify the amount of chemical load on the airplane prior to takeoff which resulted in the airplane being heavier than expected. Contributing to the accident was loading crew not following the pilot’s instructions.
NTSB Identification: CEN14CA283
This June 2014 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Emergency dumps will work, but then someone gets blamed for the problem mostly the pilot. And who pays for the loss of material the dumb farmer? However, if the tank wasn’t empty before the next 400 gallons were loaded the aircraft could have easily been overfilled to the point where it could fly out of ground affect.
I was dusting (a super cub) and on pulling out from over tall palm trees the engine sputtered once before ‘catching’. That was just enough to make my pull out say 4 or 5 inches too low. Going at 90° to the cotton I rode the washboard fo a hundred feet or so. I should have filed charges against the engine?
I am not an ag pilot but I doubt the rules vary.
There is only one person responsible for the safe operation and it isn’t the guy driving the truck and loading the hopper.
They have to blame the pilot because he’s the only one the FAA can do anything to. If the loading crew loaded 13 loads and it flew, why wouldn’t you trust them to load the same amount again? I hope that crew is looking for jobs as Wheelbarrow Operators because they don’t need to be working around airplanes.
If you want the job done right, do it yourself. Or make sure your crew has the brains to follow orders.
Crew still have a job
No way to do an emergency dump of the load?