Event CEN25LA283

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff for the aerial application flight, the airplane settled back toward the ground and struck the surrounding crop at the departure end of the grass strip. During the accident sequence, the airplane came to rest upright and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and right wing. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot was familiar with the field and assessed that the grass was taller, recent rain made the ground softer, and a tailwind was present. He considered these factors in his fuel and product calculations and took off with a slightly reduced load and a weight of 7,252 pounds at takeoff. However, he stated that the accident could have been prevented if the airplane’s weight was further reduced for the conditions. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Climb rate-Capability exceeded
• — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Soft surface-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation