Accident Details
On August 22, 2018, at about 1600 central daylight time, a Cessna A188 airplane (registration N78417) impacted terrain after departing the runway at Amelia Earhart Airport (K59), Atchison, Kansas. The pilot was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged during the accident.
Aircraft and Operations
The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by McElwain Sprayers, LLC under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an agricultural flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Pilot Account
The pilot reported that he had topped off with fuel in the morning and had flown two previous loads. On the third takeoff, as the airplane reached 70 to 75 mph, the airplane "would not come off the ground." He stated that the mixture was full rich, and the propeller and throttle controls were full forward. Feeling that he could not stop on the remaining runway, he dumped the load to reduce the airplane's weight in an attempt to get airborne. However, the airplane did not become airborne and impacted terrain just beyond the runway. After the airplane came to rest, the pilot pulled the mixture control back, turned the magnetos and battery off, and exited the airplane.
Owner's Observations
The airplane's owner witnessed the attempted takeoff and reported that the engine puffed black smoke during the takeoff run. He added that the fuel servo provided a mixture that was too rich, so on the ground pilots would reduce the mixture and then use a full rich mixture for takeoff. After the accident, he noted that the mixture control was back two inches, which was too far.
Post-Accident Inspection
The responding Federal Aviation Inspector noted substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. A visual inspection of the engine did not find any abnormalities.