What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) While enroute to dispense fertilizer at a low altitude the aircraft struck the ground in a plowed field in the vicinity of Maricopa AZ. The pilot fred wordon indicated that he was dealing with a torque meter failure when the engine failed causing the aircraft to crash in the field. Inspection of the engine and all systems failed to find a cause of an engine failure, however the cause of the torque meter failure was determined to be a failed gasket on the combustion case directing hot gases against the torque meter cannon plug melting the solder and shorting the wires. The engine was torn down by Honeywell and determined to have been running at the time the engine struck the ground based on evaluation of deposits on the hot section components I.e. vanes and turbine blades. The failure of the torque meter and the pilots attention being drawn to resetting the circuit breaker twice in flight may have drawn his attention away from flying the aircraft. The aircraft was inspected at the air transport yard in phoenix on three different occasions and three evaluations by Honeywell were attended by FAA iic over a five month period.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) WHILE ENROUTE TO DISPENSE FERTILIZER AT A LOW ALTITUDE THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A PLOWED FIELD IN THE VICINITY OF MARICOPA AZ. THE PILOT FRED WORDON INDICATED THAT HE WAS DEALING WITH A TORQUE METER FAILURE WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO CRASH IN THE FIELD. INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE AND ALL SYSTEMS FAILED TO FIND A CAUSE OF AN ENGINE FAILURE, HOWEVER THE CAUSE OF THE TORQUE METER FAILURE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A FAILED GASKET ON THE COMBUSTION CASE DIRECTING HOT GASES AGAINST THE TORQUE METER CANNON PLUG MELTING THE SOLDER AND SHORTING THE WIRES. THE ENGINE WAS TORN DOWN BY HONEYWELL AND DETERMINED TO HAVE BEEN RUNNING AT THE TIME THE ENGINE STRUCK THE GROUND BASED ON EVALUATION OF DEPOSITS ON THE HOT SECTION COMPONENTS I.E. VANES AND TURBINE BLADES. THE FAILURE OF THE TORQUE METER AND THE PILOTS ATTENTION BEING DRAWN TO RESETTING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER TWICE IN FLIGHT MAY HAVE DRAWN HIS ATTENTION AWAY FROM FLYING THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED AT THE AIR TRANSPORT YARD IN PHOENIX ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND THREE EVALUATIONS BY HONEYWELL WERE ATTENDED BY FAA IIC OVER A FIVE MONTH PERIOD.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.