Piper PA-36-375 Runway Overrun During Agricultural Operations (EC-CQU)

Incident Overview and Location On Tuesday, July 13, 2004, at 08:30 local time, a Piper PA-36-375 with registration EC-CQU, operated by Agricolair, S.L., was conducting commercial agricultural insecticide dispersal operations. The aircraft had arrived that morning from another airfield to work from a temporary dirt runway located in the municipality of Isla Mayor, in the province of Sevilla. The runway was approximately 650 m long and situated between rice paddies. ## Flight Phase and Sequence of Events During the takeoff roll, the aircraft failed to become airborne and overran the end of the runway. It then struck an irrigation channel located in the extension of the runway centerline. The pilot reported that the aircraft briefly lifted off but then descended back to the ground. He released the liquid load in an emergency but was unable to regain altitude. The aircraft continued on the ground through a grassy and shrubby area before entering the irrigation channel. ## Aircraft, Crew, and Damage The aircraft was powered by a single Lycoming IO-720-D1C engine. The pilot, aged 34, held a commercial pilot license with approximately 2,000 total flight hours and 400 hours on type. He was uninjured and was able to leave the aircraft under his own power. The aircraft sustained major damage to nearly all components, although the main structure remained largely intact. The engine and engine mount separated and came to rest beneath the main wreckage. ## Operational and Environmental Factors The aircraft was loaded with approximately 700 liters of insecticide and about 25 gallons of fuel in each tank. Estimated operating weight was around 4,600 lb, below the maximum authorized weight of 4,800 lb. The center of gravity was near the midpoint of the allowable range for that weight. Performance charts indicated that approximately 1,500 ft of ground roll would have been required, compared with about 2,100 ft of available runway. The ambient temperature was about 23 °C. The investigation noted that local convective phenomena near the rice paddies could have produced strong, localized gusts, and that a small increase in weight or a modest tailwind gust could have degraded performance enough to prevent the aircraft from reaching takeoff speed.