No fatalities

21 Oct 2010: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-802 — AIR TRACTOR INC — Fort Hunter Liggett, CA

Fort Hunter Liggett, CA, United States

On 21 Oct 2010, an AIR TRACTOR INC AT-802 operated by AIR TRACTOR INC was involved in an aviation accident near Fort Hunter Liggett, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's misjudged glide path, which resulted in a runway undershoot and collision with terrain during landing. 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

During a short-field landing demonstration on a dirt airstrip, the tailwheel struck a berm, causing the propeller and main gear to hit the runway. The aircraft bounced, skidded left, and shed the right main gear and tailwheel.

Accident Details

The pilot was performing a short-field landing demonstration on a dirt airstrip. As the aircraft approached for landing, the tailwheel impacted a berm of dirt located at the approach end of the airstrip. The impact caused the nose to pitch down, resulting in the propeller striking the runway, followed by the main landing gear. The airplane then bounced back into the air. The pilot added power, and the airplane skidded to the left.

Damage

During the impact sequence, the right main landing gear and the tailwheel separated from the aircraft. No other damage was reported in the source.

Pilot's Comments

After the incident, the pilot noted that he should have landed farther down the airstrip to avoid the berm.

Mechanical Inspection

No mechanical anomalies were reported with the aircraft.

Contributing factors

Causes

Glide — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome