Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Gibbs Strip (Private) Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Brinkley, Arkansas 72021
Saturday, May 8, 2004 10:15 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The 6,500-hour commercial pilot flying the radial engine powered agricultural airplane, was taking off from a 1/2-mile long private grass airstrip, loaded with sulfides to spray a local field. As the airplane became airborne, it settled at the departure end of the runway, and impacted a slightly elevated roadway berm which was oriented perpendicular to the departure end of the runway. The pilot reported that he believed that he loaded "too much" sulfides in the hopper, and the airplane "stalled" just after liftoff. According to the operator, the maximum takeoff weight of the airplane was 11,700 pounds (with a STC for a 800-gallon hopper). The pilot stated that he did not know his exact takeoff weight at the time of the accident.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilots failure to attain flying airspeed after takeoff. A factor was the overloading of agricultural chemicals that exceeded the airplane's maximum takeoff weight.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/8/2004 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1015 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Brinkley |
| Event State | ARKANSAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 72021 |
| Event Date Year | 2004 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 345249N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0911035W |
| Event Location Airport | Gibbs Strip (private) |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 30 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 16 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 200 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 14 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.09 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 15898 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Operations Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 12 2004 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 830 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 29 2004 7:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Little Rock, Arkansas |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N203H |
| NTSB Number | FTW04LA127 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 137: Agricultural |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | WSK PZL Mielec |
| Aircraft Model | M-18 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1Z004-09 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 11700 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 1 2004 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 80 |
| Airframe Hours | 6665 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Mid South Dusters |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 7003 Guenther |
| Aircraft Owner City | Sherill |
| Aircraft Owner State | AR |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 72152 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Chris Van Houten |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | Route 1 Box 71B |
| Operator City | Devalls Bluff |
| Operator State | AR |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 72041 |
| Operator Code | USFG |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Agriculture |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Aerial Application |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | NONE |
| Departure City | Brinkley |
| Departure State | AR |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1015 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | NONE |
| Destination City | -- |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | -- |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 25 2004 6:58PM |
| User who most recently changed record | CASH |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |