On February 18, 2003, an Air Tractor AT-502B (registration N61802) operated by Hill Flying Service Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Holly Grove, AR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An airplane overran a 4,500-foot runway, colliding with a threshold light and a fence, coming to rest inverted. The pilot reported full takeoff power initially but suspected power decay.
Accident Details
The accident occurred during takeoff from a 4,500-foot runway. The airplane collided with a threshold light before overrunning the departure end of the runway. It then struck a fence post that supported a 10-foot-tall airport perimeter fence. The airplane came to rest in an inverted position, entangled in the fence.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, the engine was producing full takeoff power at the start of the takeoff roll. However, during the latter part of the roll, the pilot suspected that the engine power had decayed. The pilot was not able to detect this change in time to abort the takeoff.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that the engine was operating at full power initially, but a perceived power decay later in the takeoff roll prevented a timely abort. No further details about the aircraft or environmental conditions were provided.