Accident Details
The commercial pilot, who held 16,500 total flight hours, was repositioning a tailwheel-equipped agricultural airplane to another airstrip approximately 10 minutes from his home base. Prior to departure, the pilot reported winds from the north at 5 to 6 mph. Upon entering the traffic pattern for the landing airstrip on a southbound downwind leg, the pilot noticed the winds were still from the north but had increased to gusts of 10 to 15 knots.
The pilot, familiar with the airstrip, stated that when landing to the north, he prefers a long final approach to avoid obstacles and then execute a short field landing to avoid rolling over a gravel-covered portion of the strip. The pilot reported that he aligned the aircraft and touched down slightly west of the centerline. As the aircraft crossed over the south bank of a 30- to 40-foot-wide ditch that ran short of the runway, the airplane encountered a large wind gust. The pilot attempted to add power to compensate, but the turbine engine experienced a slow spool-up time. The airplane subsequently impacted the north bank of the ditch, causing both main landing gears to separate from the airframe. The aircraft then slid for 30 to 40 feet before stopping on a northwesterly heading.
Pilot Information
The pilot reported a total of 385 hours in the same make and model of airplane, with about 285 hours accumulated in the preceding 90 days.