CEN16LA180

The pilot departed for the seventh of fifteen planned aerial application flights that day; the engine subsequently lost total power. The pilot conducted a forced landing to a rice field. A fuel sample drained from the airplane following the accident was cloudy and contained floating debris. Postaccident examination of the fuel system revealed a significant amount of debris, including grass, leaves, insects, and dirt, in the fuel control filter and airframe filter bowl. Further examination of the fuel filter assembly revealed that the inlet and outlet holes of the filter housing, as well as the filter inlet hose, contained debris of sufficient quantity to result in a disruption of fuel flow to the engine. Whether the pilot conducted a preflight inspection could not be determined; however, a fuel sample taken prior to the flight would likely have displayed contamination.

On May 11, 2016, about 1400 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164B AgCat airplane, N8362K, made a forced landing in a field near Lyons Point, Louisiana. The commercial rated pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Vincent Flying Service, Inc., Kaplan, Louisiana, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The local flight had just departed from a private air strip. The pilot reported that he was conducting his seventh aerial application job of the day and this particular job involved fifteen total application loads. On the accident flight he had just departed the private strip which was the seventh load and the airplane had been loaded with about 60 gallons of fuel and the hopper contained about 2,000 lbs of applicant. When the airplane was above the height of a telephone pole (50 to 75 ft) and with no prior indications, the engine experienced a total loss of power and the pilot made a forced landing to a rice field. During the landing roll, the left main landing gear broke and the airplane continued onto a farm road. After the airplane came to rest, smoke was observed from the engine compartment and fuel was leaking from the fuel tanks. The responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that there was fuel on the ground near the breached fuel tank and there was corrosion around the fuel tank inlet cap. About 9 gallons of fuel were recovered from the fuel tanks; 7 gallons in the left tank and 2 gallons in the right tank. An examination of the fuel control filter revealed that the fuel was cloudy and contained floating debris. The paper filter was discolored and contained debris. The airframe fuel filter bowl contained a significant amount of debris including leaves, grass, insects, and dirt. The right fuel tank and associated fuel screens were clear of any debris. A review if the airplane maintenance records revealed that an annual inspection was completed on November 1, 2015, and a 100-hour inspection was completed on February 15, 2016.