Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Private Ag Airstrip Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Williams, California 95987
Saturday, May 11, 1996 8:00 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot reported that as the aircraft reached the takeoff rotation point, the engine's turbine section disintegrated, throwing large chunks of turbine wheels and other debris through the top and side of the engine cowling. The pilot lost directional control while attempting to stop the aircraft on the 2,700 foot-long dirt runway and it veered off the right side of the airstrip, crossed a drainage canal, and collided with the opposite embankment. Engine disassembly revealed that the second stage turbine wheel rim separated over almost its entire circumference. Detailed examination of the hub's fracture found machining type scoring to a depth of about 0.1 inches on the forward face of the wheel, which reduced the strength in the wheel web until overload failure occurred. Inspection of the second stage turbine stator assembly found that the sheet metal support for the turbine wheel to stator air seal was separated from the stator and had shifted forward to contact the failed wheel. Twenty-two out of 31 cooling passages which pass through the stator vanes from the outside diameter of the stator to the seal support area were completely plugged by braze repair material. The braze material had flowed from the outside diameter toward the inside during an attempt to braze repair the sheet metal on the castings outside diameter. The seal support showed evidence of operation at a temperature a few hundred degrees hotter than normal. Allied Signal reported that this overtemp condition will cause the seal support to crack after a few hundred hours of operation. Review of the Allied Signal overhaul documents for the second stage stator assembly disclosed that a braze repair is only authorized for the rear air seal attachment to the casting, and not in the area of the cooling passages. The historical engine maintenance records disclosed that the second stage stator was overhauled on August 23, 1995, and installed in the engine on October 23, 1995, 207 hours and 230 cycles since overhaul.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a rejected takeoff, and the catastrophic failure of the engine's turbine section due to an improper overhaul procedure. A factor in the accident was the close proximity of the drainage ditch to the edge of the private airstrip's runway.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/11/1996 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 800 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | WILLIAMS |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 95987 |
| Event Date Year | 1996 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | PRIVATE AG AIRSTRIP |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 47 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 15 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 24 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Light and Variable |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 786 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 16 1996 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 830 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 10:00AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N447AT |
| NTSB Number | LAX96LA196 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 137: Agricultural |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Ayres |
| Aircraft Model | S2R-G6 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | S2R-G6 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | G6-103 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 26 1996 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 70 |
| Airframe Hours | 9414 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CALDWELL FLYING SERVICE, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 218 |
| Aircraft Owner City | WILLIAMS |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 95987 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | NGPG |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Agriculture |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Unknown |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Unknown |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Unknown |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Aerial Application |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 34 |
| Runway Length | 2700 |
| Runway Width | 70 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |