Summary
On October 04, 1996, a Rockwell S2R (N8957Q) was involved in an incident near Glide, OR. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: Failure of the pilot to perform an adequate preflight inspection, which led to fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of power. Factors relating to the accident were: false indications of cockpit fuel gauges and unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
On October 4, 1996, about 1630 Pacific daylight time, N8957Q, a Rockwell S2R airplane, operated by Ag Aviation Equipment, Inc., Pond Creek, Oklahoma, collided with trees and terrain during an emergency descent/landing near Glide, Oregon, and was substantially damaged. The emergency descent/landing was precipitated by a total loss of engine power during normal descent. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The aerial application flight was conducted under 14 CFR 137.
According to the operator in a telephone interview with the Safety Board, the pilot ran out of gas while descending to land after an aerial application.
This incident is documented in NTSB report SEA97LA002. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8957Q.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
failure of the pilot to perform an adequate preflight inspection, which led to fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of power. Factors relating to the accident were: false indications of cockpit fuel gauges and unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On October 4, 1996, about 1630 Pacific daylight time, N8957Q, a Rockwell S2R airplane, operated by Ag Aviation Equipment, Inc., Pond Creek, Oklahoma, collided with trees and terrain during an emergency descent/landing near Glide, Oregon, and was substantially damaged. The emergency descent/landing was precipitated by a total loss of engine power during normal descent. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The aerial application flight was conducted under 14 CFR 137.
According to the operator in a telephone interview with the Safety Board, the pilot ran out of gas while descending to land after an aerial application. During the forced landing, the airplane struck trees and impacted terrain. The right wing and fuselage were substantially damaged. The operator reported that the airplane's right and left fuel quantity gages read 1/4 tank and 1/2 tank respectively just prior to the accident.
In a written statement to the Safety Board (attached), the pilot stated that he thought he had about 30 to 40 gallons of fuel in the airplane, because of the cockpit fuel gage indications. Visual verification of fuel quantity prior to the flight was not performed.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA97LA002