Ayres S2R-T34 N444HF

Summary

On 11 August 2006 at about 16:30 local time, a Ayres S2R-T34 registered N444HF was involved in an accident near Parkdale, Arkansas, 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

11 August 2006 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Parkdale, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

None

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Ayres S2R-T34

Registration

N444HF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Parkdale → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW06LA198

Nobody was injured.

The failure of a compressor turbine blade for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 6,000-hour commercial pilot made a forced landing to a cotton field after the turbine engine installed on his agricultural airplane stopped producing power. The pilot landed in a field and subsequently collided with trees. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration performed an on-scene examination of the airplane. According to the inspector, the airplane sustained structural damage to the wings. Examination of the engine revealed a compressor-turbine blade had failed causing extensive damage to the vein ring, segments and small exit duct. This failure also resulted in debris contacting the power-turbine blades, which subsequently damaged all of the power-turbine blades and disc. The failed blade was never located and the mode of failure could not be determined. A review of the airplane's maintenance history revealed that the compressor-turbine disc was rebladed in November 1994, and had accumulated approximately 4,987.7 hours since new. The disc itself had accumulated approximately 7,941.4 hours and 7,170 cycles.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.