# Accident 19970821030539A: Ayres S2R, Columbus, NM, August 21, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 21, 1997, 14:35 local time
- Place: Columbus, NM
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: WBJG
- Location: 31.8274° N, 107.6423° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Columbus, NM, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.8274&lon=-107.6423&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4893X, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4893X-2013-12-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Rockwell International S-2R (registry code 7630202, https://openairdocs.org/model/rockwell-international-s-2r) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 series (registry code 52016, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AYRES S2R
- Reported engine: PWA R1340AN1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 17,000 total, 10,000 in this make and model, 300 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA322](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA322) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970821030539A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS ENGINE POWER WHILE MANEUVERING NEAR COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO. THE PILOT STATED THE FOLLOWING: 'ON THE FINAL PASS (HE) PULLED UP OUT OF THE FIELD AND INITIATED A TURN TOWARDS DEMING, WHEN AN OBJECT CAME THROUGH THE RIGHT CORNER WINDSHIELD STRIKING (HIM) IN THE HEAD.' RENDERING HIM UNCONSCIOUS. A WITNESS WHO WAS APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE STATED THAT HE SAW THE AIRPLANE 'FLYING STRAIGHT AND THEN NOSE INTO THE GROUND.' THE WITNESS DID NOT HEAR ANY ENGINE NOISES. SEVERAL WORKERS, IN A NEARBY FIELD, REPORTED THAT THEY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE PULL OUT OF THE FIELD AND START TO TURN, WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT. THE OWNER EXAMINED THE ENGINE AND DETERMINED THAT THE EXHAUST SIDE ROCKER BOX ADN EXHAUST VALVE MECHANISM HAD BROKEN OFF THE NUMBER 7 CYLIDER. THERE WAS A DEEP GROOVE ON THE BACK SIDE OF A PROPELLER BLADE. THE OWNER STATED THAT THE ROCKER BOX COULD HAVE BEEN EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE AND CONTACTED A PROPELLER BALDE WHICH DEFLECTED THE ROCKER BOX INTO THE CABIN. (-23) ON AUGUST 21, 1997, AT 1400 MST, A ROCKWELL S2, N4893X, REGISTERED TO ROBERT JOHN MAMUZICH, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND DURING AGRICULTURAL SPRAYIN  G OPERATIONS AT A FARM IN COLUMBUS, NM. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DEMOLISHED AND THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT DEMING AIRPORT, DEMING, NM, ON AUGUST 21, 1997, AT 0630 MST.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97LA322](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA322), Aug 21, 1997: Rockwell S-2R (N4893X), Columbus, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: a loss of engine power due to failure of an exhaust side rocker box and valve mechanism, and pilot incapacitation due to loss of consciousness after being struck in the head by parts separating from…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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