No fatalities

13 Mar 2008: Air Tractor AT602 — K & P Flying Service — Back Gate, AR

Back Gate, AR, United States

On 13 Mar 2008, an Air Tractor AT602 operated by K & P Flying Service was involved in an aviation accident near Back Gate, AR. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft. A contributing factor was the wet, grass runway. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A commercial pilot with 9,905 hours lost control during landing on a wet grass airstrip, causing the airplane to slide into a levy and culvert, resulting in substantial damage and inversion.

Incident Description

A commercial pilot with 9,905 hours of flight time was operating a tailwheel-equipped airplane on an aerial application flight. After completing the first load, the pilot was returning to a private grass airstrip for the second load. During the landing roll, the airplane began to slide. The pilot reported that the grass was wet from morning dew and that he was unable to stop the aircraft.

The airplane continued sliding until it struck a small levy and culvert. The impact caused the left main landing gear to separate from the aircraft. The airplane sustained substantial damage and came to rest in an inverted position.

Damage

The airplane received substantial damage, specifically the separation of the left main landing gear. The aircraft ended up inverted after the incident.

Additional Information

The pilot was the sole occupant; no other individuals were involved. The accident occurred on a private grass airstrip during daylight hours, though the exact time was not specified. No injuries were reported in the source material.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

GlassyWetRunway/landing area condition