What happened
On the day of the accident, a commercial pilot with 5,149 hours of flight time experienced a delay in his first flight due to thunderstorms in the area. During the takeoff roll on Runway 2CO, as the agricultural airplane reached speeds of 50 to 60 mph, the tailwheel became airborne. The pilot encountered a gusting crosswind from the right, which necessitated the use of full right rudder and brakes.
Unable to compensate for the wind conditions, the aircraft departed the left side of the 4,120-foot runway. As the plane exited the 20-foot wide runway, the pilot reduced engine power and dumped the 150-pound load of agricultural mixture. Simultaneously, the right landing gear tire sank into soft ground located to the left of the runway, causing the aircraft to nose over. The airplane came to rest in an inverted position. The pilot was not injured and was able to exit the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation noted that both wings separated from the airframe during the accident sequence. Weather conditions at the airport included winds from 085 degrees at 2 to 5 knots, visibility of 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, and an overcast ceiling at 5,200 feet. Temperature was 20 degrees Celsius with a dew point of 16 degrees Celsius.