What happened
On August 13, 2009, a Schweizer G-164B operated by Valley Crop Dusting Inc was performing an agricultural flight near Westley, California. During the takeoff roll, the pilot experienced sluggish performance and was unable to achieve a climb. To avoid a chain link fence at the end of the runway, the pilot maintained the aircraft in ground effect to build airspeed.
As the pilot attempted to transition into a climb, the aircraft began descending toward a nearby sewage pond. Although the pilot attempted to jettison the load, the aircraft impacted the pond and flipped over. There were no injuries resulting from the accident.
The investigation
The investigation determined that the aircraft was significantly overweight at the time of the accident. The operator estimated the gross weight to be approximately 6,100 pounds, while the Pilot's Operating Handbook for the N6697Q specifies a maximum gross weight of 5,200 pounds for the G-164B equipped with the R-1340 engine.
While the Civil Aeronautics Manual (CAM) 8 allows operators to select and demonstrate maximum weights for special purpose loads in lieu of a fixed maximum weight, the aircraft was operated well beyond the established limits for this model.