2005 Piper PA-36-285 CS-ASW Agricultural Aircraft Accident at Herdade da Foz

Overview and Flight History On 6 May 2005, a Piper PA-36-285 agricultural aircraft, registration CS-ASW, operated by S.A.G. – Serviços Aero-Agrícolas, Lda., was conducting rice-seeding work near Herdade da Foz in Benavente. The aircraft had been positioned on the farm airstrip for the day's operations. The pilot began work at 05:50 UTC and completed 15 seeding passes, initially using runway 34 and later runway 16 after observing a more favorable wind direction. At 13:35 UTC, the pilot lined up on runway 16 for the final mission of the day, performed normal checks, selected 20 degrees of flaps, and began the takeoff roll with maximum engine power. ## Accident Sequence During the takeoff roll, the aircraft reached approximately 65 MPH indicated airspeed before the pilot lifted it off the ground. The pilot then waited for the aircraft to accelerate to 85 MPH in order to retract the flaps and continue the climb. The aircraft showed difficulty accelerating and was unable to gain sufficient altitude to clear the large trees in the runway alignment. Because the wind was from the pilot's left, the pilot initiated a left turn in an attempt to climb and clear the obstacles on that side. The aircraft continued to fail to gain speed and lost altitude until it struck the ground in a recently plowed agricultural field beside the runway. ## Impact and Damage The aircraft touched down in a three-point attitude with a slight leftward skid, causing the left main landing-gear leg to collapse. It slid approximately 30 meters forward before the propeller struck the ground and the blades folded backward. The lower engine cowl, the solid-product dispersal system, and the left wing contacted the terrain, and the aircraft rotated slightly left, coming to rest facing north. The pilot attempted to jettison the wet rice load from the hopper, but the attempt was unsuccessful and the full load remained aboard. Damage was reported to the landing gear, left wingtip, engine and engine cowlings, propeller, and solid-product dispersal system. No third-party damage was recorded. ## Crew, Aircraft, and Conditions The pilot was the sole occupant and was uninjured. The pilot was a 56-year-old Portuguese male holding a CPL(A) with qualifications for single-engine land aircraft, radiotelephony, and agricultural work. The aircraft was a single-engine, low-wing, fixed-conventional-landing-gear agricultural monoplane with a maximum takeoff mass of 1,996 kg, powered by a 285 BHP reciprocating engine and equipped with a three-blade constant-speed propeller. At the time of the accident, the aircraft's total mass was 2,177.80 kg, exceeding the maximum permitted takeoff and landing mass. Weather at the time was clear with no significant cloud, variable wind of about 10 knots, temperature 28°C, and QNH 1019 hPa. The farm airstrip was not part of the national certified aerodrome network but was authorized for agricultural work, with a 800-meter compacted-earth runway oriented 160°/340°.