No fatalities

25 May 2008: Ayres S-2R — Frontier Ag Inc. — McDonald, KS

McDonald, KS, United States

On 25 May 2008, an Ayres S-2R operated by Frontier Ag Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near McDonald, KS. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the soft terrain. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A commercial pilot aborted a takeoff due to insufficient airspeed when the left brake faded, causing the aircraft to turn right and sink into soft mud and a ditch, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing spar and landing gear; no injuries were reported.

Accident Overview

A commercial pilot experienced a takeoff abort that resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft. According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Pilot Operator Report (Form 6120.1), the incident occurred during a second takeoff attempt after an initial abort from another runway.

Sequence of Events

The pilot reported that during the second takeoff attempt, he decided to abort due to insufficient airspeed. As the aircraft decelerated, the left brake faded, causing the airplane to gradually turn to the right. Subsequently, the wheels sank into soft mud and into a ditch.

Damage Assessment

Substantial damage was sustained to the left wing spar, which was bent approximately 20 degrees upward. The main landing gear also suffered damage. There was no post-crash fire.

Pilot Comments

The pilot reported no injuries. He noted that the takeoff weight was only 55 pounds less than the maximum allowable gross weight of 6,000 pounds. He stated that one of the reasons for the accident was that he should have loaded a lighter load.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome