Aero Commander CALLAIR A 9B N7292V accident near Gardiner, Montana

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and his subsequent takeoff with the airplane over its allowable gross weight in highdensity altitude conditions, which degraded the airplane’s climb performance and led to a subsequent forced landing.

NTSB analysis

The commercial pilot was conducting an agricultural application flight. The pilot reported that, during departure, the airplane was unable to maintain a positive climb rate, so he decided to conduct a forced landing on a grass field. During the landing roll, the airplane's wing struck terrain, and the airplane subsequently came to rest inverted.

Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident weight and balance calculations determined that, at the time of the accident, the airplane exceeded its maximum gross weight limitation. Further, the density altitude was calculated to be 5,661 ft mean sea level. It is likely that the combined effects of the airplane being over its gross weight and the high-density altitude degraded the airplane's climb performance.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR14LA220 for the full record.