Accident Overview
During an agricultural operation, aircraft ZK-EMV crashed shortly after take-off, resulting in the death of the pilot. The aircraft was loaded to 23 hundredweight and encountered performance issues, striking a fence before crashing.
Sequence of Events
After completing a run at a heavier weight, the pilot of ZK-EMV told the loader driver to increase the load by an additional hundredweight after the next run. Another pilot remained at 22 hundredweight but moved his loading point back to gain more take-off distance. That pilot experienced “some sink” after take-off, coinciding with flap retraction. After the second run at 22 hundredweight, the pilot of ZK-EMV positioned his aircraft about 25 meters east of his previous loading point. Company personnel regarded ZK-EMV as having slightly better performance than similar models. The loader driver was not concerned about the increase to 23 hundredweight. Although he could not see the departure, he heard the engine and noted nothing unusual.
Witness Observations
On returning from his run, the second pilot saw ZK-EMV to his lower right in a steep climb estimated at 45 to 50 degrees. The aircraft rolled slowly left, reaching a height equivalent to “3 times power pole height.” Objects fell from the aircraft during this time. The aircraft then inverted and descended rapidly, striking the ground about 350 meters from the strip, near power lines crossing a bend in the road. A truck driver who had just deposited fertilizer at the airstrip also observed the accident. He saw ZK-EMV leave the strip and “sag down a long way,” appearing to “drop like a stone.” The aircraft was in a high nose attitude, descending in a slight left turn toward a fence. It struck the fence, ballooned up, and dropped fertilizer. The aircraft then rolled left and descended toward the truck driver, who took cover. The aircraft struck the ground in a paddock about 5 meters from the truck. The truck driver, familiar with agricultural aircraft, saw no items fall before the fence strike and considered the engine at maximum power with no change in sound.
Aftermath
The second pilot landed and informed the two loader drivers. They headed to the accident site in the loader truck, and a member alerted emergency services via cell phone. The truck driver went to the upturned aircraft but could not locate the pilot. He then drove toward the airstrip, meeting the loader drivers and second pilot on the way. At ZK-EMV, the loader’s bucket was used to lift the aircraft to access the cockpit. No assistance could be given to the pilot, who had died on impact.