No fatalities

17 Aug 2009: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502B — Dennis Meyer — Whittemore, IA

Whittemore, IA, United States

On 17 Aug 2009, an AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502B operated by Dennis Meyer was involved in an aviation accident near Whittemore, IA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's lack of preflight planning and remedial action with resulted in the airplane's inability to climb out of ground effect. 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

An airplane became airborne during takeoff, settled onto the runway, then became airborne again before settling into a bean field. It contacted a ditch and crossed a road before coming to rest in another bean field. The pilot did not calculate weight and balance and did not dump the chemical load.

Takeoff and Initial Airborne Attempt

During takeoff, the airplane became airborne but subsequently settled back onto the runway. The pilot then made a second attempt, and the airplane became airborne once more. However, it again lost altitude and settled into a bean field located off the end of the runway.

Subsequent Impact and Final Rest

After contacting the bean field, the airplane struck a ditch and crossed a road before coming to rest in another bean field. The sequence of events involved multiple ground contacts and a road crossing.

Pilot Statement

According to the pilot, the airplane was operating at or near its gross weight at the time of the incident. The pilot acknowledged that he did not calculate the weight and balance before the flight. He reported that the engine was running normally throughout the event and expressed confidence that the airplane would remain airborne, which is why he chose not to dump the chemical load.

Contributing factors

PilotClimb capability — Not attained/maintained