What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.19) On July 3, 2002, approximately 2030 mountain daylight time, a Grumman G-164B "agcat," N297AL, registered to nef flying service, inc., and being flown by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during a forced landing following a loss of power during a spray run approximately six nautical miles northwest of Shelley, Idaho. The pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was a crop dusting flight, was operated under 14 CFR 137, and originated from a private landing site just west of Shelley, approximately 2030 on the evening of the accident. The pilot reported that he had just rolled out of a turn to begin a spray run when there was an abrupt loss of power accompanied by engine roughness and vibration. The pilot, unable to maintain altitude, executed a forced landing into the field he was spraying. The aircraft touched down roughly perpendicular to the furrows and the aircraft tumbled end over end several times shedding both the engine and the empennage before coming to rest inverted. Post-crash examination revealed the top of the number five cylinder had separated from the lower half of the cylinder and departed the engine. The cylinder had separated circumferentially about an inch inside the barrel. The pilot reported that the engine had undergone a zero-time overhaul within the previous 100 hours. (-23) aircraft was entering a spray run when the aircraft lost power, the pilot was unable to climb away from the terrain and landed in a potato field. The aircraft flipped over three times, the engine departed the aircraft, the empennage broke off the wings bent, approximately 50 to 100 gallons of spray chemical was spilled at the scene. The aircraft came to rest on its back. Inspection revealed the #5 cylinder had a cylinder head failure and separation approximately one inch above the bottom of the cylinder head, where the head attaches to the barrel, the engine was overhauled 120 hours previous. The pilot stated that new cylinders were installed on the engine at the time of overhaul.
As the FAA filed it
(.19) ON JULY 3, 2002, APPROXIMATELY 2030 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A GRUMMAN G-164B "AGCAT," N297AL, REGISTERED TO NEF FLYING SERVICE, INC., AND BEING FLOWN BY A COMMERCIAL PILOT, WAS DESTROYED DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A LOSS OF POWER DURING A SPRAY RUN APPROXIMATELY SIX NAUTICAL MILES NORTHWEST OF SHELLEY, IDAHO. THE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS EXISTED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE FLIGHT, WHICH WAS A CROP DUSTING FLIGHT, WAS OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR 137, AND ORIGINATED FROM A PRIVATE LANDING SITE JUST WEST OF SHELLEY, APPROXIMATELY 2030 ON THE EVENING OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD JUST ROLLED OUT OF A TURN TO BEGIN A SPRAY RUN WHEN THERE WAS AN ABRUPT LOSS OF POWER ACCOMPANIED BY ENGINE ROUGHNESS AND VIBRATION. THE PILOT, UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING INTO THE FIELD HE WAS SPRAYING. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ROUGHLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE FURROWS AND THE AIRCRAFT TUMBLED END OVER END SEVERAL TIMES SHEDDING BOTH THE ENGINE AND THE EMPENNAGE BEFORE COMING TO REST INVERTED. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION REVEALED THE TOP OF THE NUMBER FIVE CYLINDER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE LOWER HALF OF THE CYLINDER AND DEPARTED THE ENGINE. THE CYLINDER HAD SEPARATED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT AN INCH INSIDE THE BARREL. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE HAD UNDERGONE A ZERO-TIME OVERHAUL WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 100 HOURS. (-23) AIRCRAFT WAS ENTERING A SPRAY RUN WHEN THE AIRCRAFT LOST POWER, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB AWAY FROM THE TERRAIN AND LANDED IN A POTATO FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER THREE TIMES, THE ENGINE DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT, THE EMPENNAGE BROKE OFF THE WINGS BENT, APPROXIMATELY 50 TO 100 GALLONS OF SPRAY CHEMICAL WAS SPILLED AT THE SCENE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON ITS BACK. INSPECTION REVEALED THE #5 CYLINDER HAD A CYLINDER HEAD FAILURE AND SEPARATION APPROXIMATELY ONE INCH ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF THE CYLINDER HEAD, WHERE THE HEAD ATTACHES TO THE BARREL, THE ENGINE WAS OVERHAULED 120 HOURS PREVIOUS. THE PILOT STATED THAT NEW CYLINDERS WERE INSTALLED ON THE ENGINE AT THE TIME OF OVERHAUL.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.