N6128W

On June 23, 1997, at 1630 central daylight time, an Air Tractor, AT-402B, N6128W, collided with the ground during takeoff from Dewdrop Airstrip, Ridgely, Tennessee. The aerial application flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 137 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The commercial pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

According to the pilot, after taking off from the grass strip, for the fourteenth or fifteenth time that day, with the same load and fuel quantity, he noticed the "airplane lifted off to about fifteen to twenty feet above the ground, and that the airplane did not seem to accelerate like normal and began to sink". He stated that he then attempted to dump the 3100 pounds (lb.) of ammonium nitrate he was carrying. Subsequently, after the doors opened, the airplane collided with the ground; a corn field with plants about six feet tall. The pilot stated that "before he could reach the power lever, the airplane started turning slightly to the right, and then the left landing gear failed". The propeller and fuselage collided with the ground, and the airplane came to rest, facing south, straddling a ditch, with its tail into a street. No mechanical problems were reported by the pilot. The pilot stated that he believed the light and variable wind and the high temperature contributed to the failure of the airplane to climb. The density altitude could not be calculated, whereas, the altimeter setting was not available.

According to the FAA, the airplane was carrying 3100 lb. of ammonium nitrate and 120 pounds of fuel. The maximum quantity for both are 3200 lb. and 176 lb., respectively.

The pilot reported that the left wing was damaged, the left landing gear was detached, the right landing gear was bent, and the tubing was torn and bent at the landing gear attachment points and the side of the hopper. He also stated that the hopper was damaged, the engine mounts were bent, and the propeller and engine were damaged.