What happened
During takeoff from a private airstrip, an agricultural airplane carrying a full load of fertilizer was unable to fly out of ground effect. As the aircraft approached the end of the runway and neared an irrigation system, the pilot pulled the nose up and attempted to initiate a load dump.
The pilot reported that the dump handle had not been placed in the emergency position, resulting in the fertilizer not being dumped quickly enough to maintain flight. After clearing the irrigation system, the airplane entered a stall and impacted the ground. The pilot noted that carrying a lighter load for the prevailing conditions would have prevented the accident.
Findings
An investigation determined that the density altitude at the time of the accident was approximately 5,730 feet.