Aero Commander S2R N8870Q

Summary

On 19 August 2016 at about 16:53 local time, a Aero Commander S2R registered N8870Q, operated by Rocky Mountain AG Inc, was involved in an accident near Center, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 August 2016 at 16:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Center, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

37.7450, -106.0258

Aircraft

Aero Commander S2R

Registration

N8870Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Rocky Mountain AG Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Monte Vista → Monte Vista

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16FA328

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during a low-level maneuver, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting his sixth low-level agricultural application flight of the day. One witness reported that the airplane made a turn, appeared to stall at the top of the turn, and spiraled to the ground. Witnesses who responded immediately to the scene found the pilot unresponsive and assisted in removing him from the wreckage. Examination of the accident site indicated that the airplane impacted a wheat field in a vertical, nose-down attitude. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot's cell phone records indicated that the pilot was texting at times that coincided with some of the application flights, including the accident flight. However, there was insufficient information to determine whether airborne PED use played a role in the accident flight. The toxicology testing on the pilot was positive for diphenhydramine, which is potentially impairing; however, it is unlikely that the pilot was significantly impaired by the small amount of drug found in his system. Exposure to the chemicals that the pilot was applying on the day of the accident can lead to various topical, airway, or neurological symptoms; however, there were no reports that the pilot complained of anything or displayed any unusual behavior on the day of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.