Accident Overview
An agricultural aircraft was involved in an accident at a farm airstrip. The aircraft had been flown to the strip and loaded with a small quantity of agricultural product. During the takeoff attempt, a combination of factors prevented the aircraft from achieving flight within the available strip length.
Sequence of Events
Prior to the accident, the airstrip had extremely soft conditions. The aircraft faced a quartering tailwind and was equipped with underslung spreader equipment, which further degraded performance. As the aircraft accelerated, it was unable to become airborne. The pilot jettisoned the load in an effort to reduce weight, but the aircraft subsequently struck a fence. The left wing tip and aileron scraped the ground. Despite the damage, the aircraft managed to lift off, but control was not regained, and it struck the ground again. The impact destroyed the aircraft and seriously injured the pilot.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the accident, as determined by the official investigation, was a combination of extremely soft airstrip conditions, a quartering tailwind, and underslung spreader equipment, which degraded performance to the extent that the aircraft was unable to become airborne within the available length of the strip.