Ayres S2R-G10 N440AT

Summary

On 7 July 2005 at about 02:00 local time, a Ayres S2R-G10 registered N440AT, operated by State of Arizona, Forestry Division, was involved in an accident near Wickenburg, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 July 2005 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Wickenburg, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.9022, -112.7839

Aircraft

Ayres S2R-G10

Registration

N440AT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

State of Arizona, Forestry Division

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Fire Fighting

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marana → Wickenburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05TA226

1 person had minor injuries.

the partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted uneven terrain, scrub brush, and cactus during a forced landing following a reported loss of engine power during cruise flight. The pilot reported that he was in cruise flight about 1,000 feet above the ground when the engine lost torque and the propeller began to auto-feather. The pilot made a mayday call and looked for a suitable place to land, but was unable to find anything. The airplane touched down in rough, uneven terrain. The airplane was loaded with 4 hours of fuel prior to the accident flight, which was about 1 hour 15 minutes in duration. The engine, engine accessories, and propeller were examined following the accident. No anomalies were noted with any of the components that would have resulted in the reported loss of engine power. There were many indications of power being developed at the time of impact, such as the separation of the propeller from the flange, the damage to the propeller blades, and the sheared torsion shaft; however, the amount of power being developed could not be quantified.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.