Ayres S-2R N5686X

Summary

On 31 May 2004 at about 18:15 local time, a Ayres S-2R registered N5686X was involved in an accident near Beaver, Utah, 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

31 May 2004 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Beaver, Utah, United States

Coordinates

38.3805, -112.6608

Aircraft

Ayres S-2R

Registration

N5686X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Beaver → Beaver

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN04LA083

Nobody was injured.

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.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.