No fatalities

21 Apr 2020: Air Tractor AT 602 No Series — Central Farmers Flying Service — Mamou, LA

Mamou, LA, United States

On 21 Apr 2020, an Air Tractor AT 602 No Series operated by Central Farmers Flying Service was involved in an aviation accident near Mamou, LA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The airplane's encounter with a sunken area during takeoff from a turf runway, which resulted in the airplane becoming prematurely airborne and impacting a tree and then terrain. 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

A pilot reported that a sunken area on a turf airstrip created a ramp, causing the airplane to become airborne prematurely, leading to a left wing impact with a tree and a subsequent forced landing in a rice field.

Event Overview

A pilot reported that the turf airstrip used for takeoff contained a "sunken area" that formed a "ramp." During the takeoff roll, when the airplane encountered this portion of the airstrip, it became "airborne prematurely."

Sequence of Events

After becoming airborne earlier than intended, the airplane descended into ground effect. While in ground effect, the left wing struck a small tree located near the end of the runway. The impact with the tree caused the airplane to pitch "downward and left." Following this pitch change, the pilot was unable to maintain altitude, and the airplane continued descending.

The airplane eventually came to rest in a muddy rice field situated off the end of the runway. The wings and fuselage sustained damage during the event.

Damage

The collision with the tree and subsequent landing in the rice field resulted in damage to both the wings and the fuselage of the airplane.

Contributing factors

Effect on operation