Air Tractor INC. AT-502 accident near Mendota, Illinois, May 29, 2009
On May 29, 2009 at about 12:50 pm local time, a Air Tractor INC. AT-502, registered N198LA, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Mendota, Illinois (Hendrickson Flying Service Air airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation and his failure to perform an aborted takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2009 · about 12:50 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Mendota, Illinois · Hendrickson Flying Service Air · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC. AT-502
- Registration
- N198LA · registry record · serial 502-0198
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The agricultural airplane was loaded about 300 pounds over its maximum gross weight for a commercial aerial application flight. The pilot stated that the airplane had not become airborne after traveling 3/4 down the runway. At that point in the takeoff, the pilot attempted to lift off, but the airplane settled back onto the runway. The airplane then overran the runway and hit a hill after which the airplane became airborne and then impacted the ground with its right wing tip and left wing, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot sustained minor injuries.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aircraft loading event during prior to flight
- Runway excursion during takeoff defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weight/balance calculations › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Loading › (general) › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,581 hours in all; 412 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,485 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 12, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,391 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 25, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34A6 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0C7 Mendota IL at 12:45 pm
- Destination: 0C7 Mendota IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,800 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from RFD, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on July 30, 2009. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Airplane Weight and Balance | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Type Certificate Data Sheet | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N198LA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N198LA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34A6 2,218 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hendrickson Flying Service Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,069 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N198LA 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN09CA323.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.