Incident Overview
A pilot reported that an accident occurred during an agricultural application flight. The flight was the 30th load of the day, with the aircraft dispensing fertilizer. During the takeoff roll on runway 29 with calm winds, the aircraft was loaded with approximately 1,300 pounds of urea.
Takeoff and Initial Climb
According to the pilot, the tail came up normally during the takeoff roll, and no issues with the engine were noticed. The aircraft lifted off and remained in ground effect while traveling upslope. The pilot then reported that the aircraft began to settle.
Load Dumping and Impact
In response to the aircraft settling, the pilot started dumping the load, but not sufficiently to prevent the aircraft from impacting the upsloping terrain in a three-point attitude. After the initial impact, the aircraft became airborne briefly before colliding with the top of the next hill.
Post-Accident Observations
The pilot reported that after exiting the aircraft, a slight tail wind was noticed. Additionally, the pilot stated there was no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction with the aircraft at the time of the accident sequence.