- Date
- April 12, 2003, 20:30 local (Apr 13, 2003, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Benson, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5519XAero Commander S2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-Minneapolis-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030412009389A
- Case key
- 56875
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane's engine lost power during an aerial application pass and the airplane nosed over during the subsequent forced landing. The pilot executed a forced landing to a plowed field and the airplane nosed over. No deficiencies were found with respect to the airplane's engine.
Factual narrative
On April 12, 2003, about 2030 central daylight time, an Aero Commander S2R, N5519X, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during a forced landing near Benson, Minnesota. The airplane was spraying a plowed field when the engine lost power at the start of a spray run. The pilot landed in the field and the airplane subsequently nosed over. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot was not injured. The flight originated from the Benson Municipal Airport, Benson, Minnesota, about 1900.
An examination of the airplane's engine was conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. The engine was able to be rotated. Valve function and "thumb" compression were verified. The magneto timing was checked and the fuel screens were examined with no anomalies noted. No deficiencies were found that would have precluded normal engine operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5519X
- Reported as
- Aero Commander S2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1719R
- Airframe hours
- 6,628
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Benson Air-Ag, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 30, 2002 · 82.4 hours before
- Departed
- BBB · Benson, MN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- April 12, 2003
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KAQP, 16 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5519X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.