- Date
- May 31, 2004, 12:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Beaver, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5686XAyres S-2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040531010199A
- Case key
- 59388
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 in-flight failure of the engine's P3 tube which resulted in the loss of engine power and the subsequent impact with terrain during a forced landing. Contributing factors include the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing and the fence.
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
According to the pilot, he had finished spraying a field and was returning to the airport for another load. He said that he had half a tank of fuel remaining and the engine was producing "excellent power." A few moments later, the engine ran rough for about a second and then stopped. He did not notice anything coming out of the exhaust. The pilot tried twice to restart the engine but was unsuccessful and he attempted a forced landing to an open field. During the landing, the airplane impacted terrain and struck a fence. Both wings were displaced aft and the right main landing gear was collapsed. A visual examination of the engine revealed a 360 degree crack around the P3 air pressure tube, causing a separation of the tube between the engine plenum and fuel control unit. The crack was approximately one-quarter inch aft of the "B" nut, which connects the P3 air pressure tube to the fuel control unit. There was a "notable" amount of carbon build-up in the area around the crack. According to a maintenance representative, failure of the tube in flight would have resulted in a "significant reduction in fuel scheduling which could result in an engine flameout." An attempt to restart the engine in flight would "likely have failed," however; an attempt would have accounted for the "notable" amount of carbon build-up around the break in the tube. No other aircraft anomalies were noted.
Factual narrative
On May 31, 2004, at approximately 1215 mountain daylight time, an Ayres Corporation S-2R, N5686X, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a forced landing to a field approximately 1 nautical mile north of Beaver, Utah. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local aerial application flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 137 without a flight plan. The flight originated at approximately 1120.
According to the pilot, he had finished spraying a field and was returning to Beaver Municipal Airport (U52), for another load. He said that he had half a tank of fuel remaining and the engine was producing "excellent power." A few moments later, the engine ran rough for about a second and then stopped. He did not notice anything coming out of the exhaust. The pilot tried twice to restart the engine but was unsuccessful and he attempted a forced landing to an open field. During the landing, the airplane impacted terrain and struck a fence. Both wings were displaced aft and the right main landing gear was collapsed.
A visual examination of the engine revealed a 360 degree crack around the P3 air pressure tube, causing a separation of the tube between the engine plenum and fuel control unit. The crack was approximately one-quarter inch aft of the "B" nut, which connects the P3 air pressure tube to the fuel control unit. There was a "notable" amount of carbon build-up in the area around the crack. According to a maintenance representative, failure of the tube in flight would have resulted in a "significant reduction in fuel scheduling which could result in an engine flameout." An attempt to restart the engine in flight would "likely have failed," however; an attempt would have accounted for the "notable" amount of carbon build-up around the break in the tube.
No other aircraft anomalies were noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5686X
- Reported as
- Ayres S-2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2359R
- Engine
- Garrett 331-1, 675 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- David S. Sheppard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- U52 · Beaver, UT
- Destination
- U52 · Beaver, UT
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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- May 18, 2004
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 7,150 total · 2,625 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KMLF, 19 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 N5686X · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.