According to the pilot in the Air Tractor AT301, he accidentally loaded more fertilizer than he initially planned, which made the airplane “heavy.”
He chose not to add fuel to prevent the plane from being over its gross weight.
During flight, the engine lost power, so the pilot made a forced landed in a dirt field in Hutchinson, Minnesota, that was water-logged due to recent storms.
During the landing roll, the airplane nosed over.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer.
The pilot reported, “I misjudged what I believed to be a safe quantity of fuel remaining.”
Probable cause: The pilot’s improper preflight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent total loss of engine power.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA371
This June 2018 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.
It’s a pain, but “DEFUEL” would have been a better option than NO FUEL.