Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Weiser, Idaho 83672
Saturday, July 6, 2002 8:45 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot of the "Agcat" cropduster had just taken off and was making his first spray run over a field when the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engine began to run rough. He pulled up and executed a right turn away from obstacles crossing the Snake River during which the engine abruptly stopped. The pilot rolled out and executed a forced landing in a beet field during which the aircraft crossed an elevated dirt/gravel roadway bounded on its north and south edges by a shallow ditch, and the aircraft's landing gear separated from the airframe. The aircraft then nosed over and came to a stop. The engine, which had been overhauled and inspected 81 and 31 hours respectively, was examined. The examination revealed that the number 3 cylinder exhaust valve steel pushrod was broken near the rocker arm end of the rod and the rod displayed very slight bending deformation. The separation surfaces of the broken rod end were observed to be mechanically battered. Removal or separation of the exhaust pushrod results in the exhaust valve's inability to open during the exhaust phase cycle for the associated cylinder, and can result in hot exhaust from the cylinder back-flowing out the intake valve when it opens during the intake cycle.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The fracture of the number 3 cylinder exhaust pushrod resulting in the exhaust valve's inability to open during the exhaust cycle and the subsequent engine stoppage. Contributing factors were the ditch and elevated roadway which the aircraft crossed during the gear collapse.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/6/2002 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 845 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | Weiser |
| Event State | IDAHO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 83672 |
| Event Date Year | 2002 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 441343N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1165807W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 855 Mountain Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 142 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | EUL |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 2431 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 38 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 19 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 9 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | -- |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.97 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 13427 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA SEA ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 6 2002 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 818 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 13 2003 12:26PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | FAA Boise FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8440K |
| NTSB Number | SEA02LA123 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 137: Agricultural |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Grumman-Schweizer |
| Aircraft Model | G-164B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 694B |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6800 |
| 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 | May 22 2002 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 31 |
| Airframe Hours | 7384 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Weiser Air Service, Inc. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Weiser |
| Aircraft Owner State | ID |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 83672 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| 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 | W5IG |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Agriculture |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Aerial Application |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | S87 |
| Departure City | Weiser |
| Departure State | ID |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 840 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| 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 | Maneuvering - aerial application |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 25 2003 10:26AM |
| User who most recently changed record | STAM |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |