- Date
- July 14, 2005, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Walnut, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8962QAero Commander S2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 27, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-DuPage FSDO
- FAA report
- 20050714023849A
- Case key
- 62066
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
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision. A contributing factor was the corn field.
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 was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during the agricultural application flight. The pilot reported that after takeoff he "sprayed" a field about 25 miles east of the departure airstrip. He stated that while returning to the airstrip, he experienced "fuel exhaustion four miles east of [the] runway" at 600 feet above ground level. He noted that he turned toward the north into the prevailing winds and executed a forced landing into a corn field. The pilot stated that there were no malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
On July 14, 2005, at 1430 central daylight time, an Aero Commander S2R, N8962Q, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Walnut, Illinois. The agricultural application flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 137 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot reported minor injuries. The local flight departed from the pilot's private airstrip, Woodley Airstrip, located near Walnut, Illinois, about 1330.
In his written statement, the pilot reported that after takeoff he "sprayed" a field about 25 miles east of the departure airstrip. He stated that while returning to the airstrip, he experienced "fuel exhaustion four miles east of [the] runway" at 600 feet above ground level. He noted that he turned toward the north into the prevailing winds and executed a forced landing into a corn field.
The pilot stated that there were no malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8962Q
- Reported as
- Aero Commander S2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1632R
- Airframe hours
- 8,034
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R1340-AN2, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2005 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- PVT · Walnut, IL
- Airport
- PVT · Woodley Airstrip
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
- 40
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2005
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 1,665 total · 40 in this make and model · 1,665 as pilot in command · 102 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- SQI, 10 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 N8962Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.