N51037Air Tractor AT-602 · 1997

On June 4, 2021, about 1625 eastern daylight time, an Air Tractor AT602, N51037, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Drew, Mississippi. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 137 aerial application flight.

The pilot stated that the airplane had just been loaded with about 4,000 lbs of dry fertilizer for the application flight and that the fuel tanks were about ¾ full (150 gal). The last memory he had of the flight was the start of the takeoff roll. There were no witnesses to the accident.

A ground scar was present along the runway with the left navigation light embedded in the scar. The airplane sustained substantial damage to wings, ailerons, and rudder.

Flight control continuity was established from the control stick to the aileron and elevator control surfaces and from the rudder pedals to the rudder. The tailwheel lock was found engaged and a functional test revealed no anomalies. Engine control continuity was established from the power quadrant to the engine and allowed for unrestricted movement of the power lever, propeller control lever, and condition lever.

The N1 section of the engine was inspected using a borescope and no anomalies were noted. All 5 blades of the propeller were bent aft and the pitch links for the #2 and #3 blades were fractured, consistent with the engine producing power at the time of impact.

The pilot departed on an aerial application flight with an estimated 53 gallons of fuel. He had not reset the Shadin fuel totalizer prior to departure. He made numerous passes over a 100 acre field spraying fertilizer. On his last swath run he noticed the fuel flow fluctuate as he started a climb between 75 to 100 feet above ground level. The engine quit and he made a forced landing on a turn road. He observed a standpipe and attempted a lift off to clear the obstruction. The airplane touched down and the left main landing gear sank into soft ground shearing off the landing gear. The airplane rotated to the right onto its nose and back to the left. The left wing sustained structural damage. The total flight time was 30 minutes. The manufacture stated in an email to the NTSB investigator that the fuel burn rate at maximum takeoff power is 89 gallons per hour and the unusable fuel is 6 gallons. Post accident examination of the airplane by an FAA Inspector revealed the left and right main fuel caps had a tight seal. There was no evidence of streaking or venting of fuel on the airplane or on the ground. The fuel caps were removed and no fuel was present. The right fuel tank was sumped and about two ounces of fuel was drained from the fuel tank. The left fuel tank was sumped and no fuel was drained from the fuel tank. The header tank was sumped and about one quart of fuel was sumped from the header tank. The purge tank was sumped and no fuel was present.