Ayres S2R-T34 N5653X

Summary

On 21 May 2003 at about 18:00 local time, a Ayres S2R-T34 registered N5653X, operated by Wade Porter, was involved in an accident near Willows, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 May 2003 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Willows, California, United States

Nearest airport

R & D Farms

Coordinates

39.5056, -121.9631

Aircraft

Ayres S2R-T34

Registration

N5653X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Wade Porter

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Willows, R&D → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03LA158

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason during an aerial application.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was making a steep turn during an agricultural aerial application when the airplane's engine lost power. He made a forced landing in a field, and in the process, the airframe received structural damage. The pilot said he had ground crew fuel the left tank of the airplane with the engine still running. He completed three loads, with each load cycle taking about 12 minutes. He then performed a steep turn of about 70-degrees to complete one last pass. About 400 above ground level, the engine lost power and he was unable to restart it. He landed the airplane in the field below, and the airplane skidded about 100 feet and nosed over. The person who recovered the airplane did not observe any fuel in the airplane fuel tanks, or at the accident site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.