ERA20LA017

The pilot departed a private field with about 120 gallons of fuel on board and performed an agricultural aerial application. About 1 hour into the flight, while returning to his home base, the engine began surging “as if it were starving of fuel.” He performed a precautionary landing in a pasture, and during the landing rollout he ground looped the airplane to avoid an obstacle. During the ground loop the right main and tailwheel landing gear collapsed. After the airplane came to rest, a fire emanating from the engine nacelle consumed most of the fuselage. A follow up examination of the wreckage was not performed, as it was prematurely sold before the examination could take place. Thus, the reason for the engine surging could not be determined based on the available information.

On October 18, 2019, at 1430 eastern daylight time, an Ayres S2R-G10, N762BF, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Shellman, Georgia. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial agricultural application flight. According to the pilot, after adding 75 gallons of fuel (for a total of about 120 gallons on board), the flight departed a private field in Shellman, Georgia about 1330. About 1 hour later he had completed an aerial application and was enroute to home at an altitude of 600 ft mean sea level when the engine began “surging as if it were starving for fuel.” He performed a precautionary landing in a pasture; however, during the rollout, he purposely ground looped the airplane to avoid impacting an irrigation sprinkler. During the ground loop, the right main landing gear and tail wheel assemblies collapsed. The pilot reported that he noticed smoke coming from the engine nacelle after he exited the airplane. He informed the landowner of the off-field landing and asked the landowner to notify the fire department. An examination of the wreckage at the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane was mostly consumed by fire. The origin/source of the fire could not be determined at the scene. The airplane was recovered to a salvage facility and was subsequently sold by the insurance company before a follow-up examination could be performed.