Summary
On June 29, 2000, a Piper PA-36-285 (N57596) was involved in an accident near Bovina, TX. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the pilot exceeding the aircraft's takeoff performance. Factors were the high density altitude and the pilot's delayed load jettison.
On June 29, 2000, at 1230 central daylight time, a Piper PA-36-285 agricultural airplane, N57596, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during takeoff from a private airstrip near Bovina, Texas. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by Rhodes Crop Care, Inc., of Bovina, Texas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant, received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.
According to the FAA inspector, who responded to accident site, the pilot was departing the private airstrip with a full load of fertilizer.
This accident is documented in NTSB report FTW00LA189. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N57596.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the pilot exceeding the aircraft's takeoff performance. Factors were the high density altitude and the pilot's delayed load jettison.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On June 29, 2000, at 1230 central daylight time, a Piper PA-36-285 agricultural airplane, N57596, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during takeoff from a private airstrip near Bovina, Texas. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by Rhodes Crop Care, Inc., of Bovina, Texas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant, received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.
According to the FAA inspector, who responded to accident site, the pilot was departing the private airstrip with a full load of fertilizer. The FAA inspector stated that, during the takeoff, the airplane "could not fly out of ground effect." He added that when the airplane neared the end of the runway and encroached on an irrigation system, "the pilot pulled up on the nose to clear the irrigation system and initiated a load dump." The pilot stated that he did not put the dump handle in the emergency dump position, and the fertilizer "was not dumped quick enough." The FAA inspector stated that the airplane stalled after clearing the irrigation system and impacted the terrain nose first. The fuselage sustained structural damage.
In the enclosed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), under the section titled "Recommendation (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented), the pilot wrote, "lighter load for conditions." The density altitude, at the time of the accident, was calculated by the NTSB investigator-in-charge to be approximately 5,730 feet.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# FTW00LA189