Gillett, AR, USA
N6626K
Grumman-Schweizer G-164C
The 18,738-hour pilot reported that while applying an aerial application of fertilizer to a field, the engine lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a nearby field. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted trees and came to rest upright. A post-impact fire comsumed most of the airframe. Examination of the sooted engine revealed that the discharge pressure line (P3) at the fuel control unit was disconnected. The threads at the "B" nut were also covered with soot.
On July 1, 2005, at 1630 central daylight time, a tail-wheel equipped Grumman-Schweizer G-164C single-engine turbine powered agricultural airplane, N6626K, was destroyed during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while performing an aerial application near Gillett, Arkansas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Trites Flying Service, Inc., of Gillett, Arkansas. Visual metrological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight originated from the operator's private airstrip near Gillett, Arkansas, at 1615. The 18,738-hour pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that during an aerial application of fertilizer to a field, the engine "lost partial power." The pilot initiated a forced landing to a nearby field. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted trees and came to rest upright. Subsequently, a postcrash fire consumed most of the airplane. Examination of the Allied Signal TPE331-6-252M engine was conducted on July 29, 2005, at the facilities of Air Salvage of Dallas, near Lancaster, Texas, by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC). The examination revealed that the engine was covered with soot, and the "B" nut (tubing nut that is used to hold flared tubing to a threaded fitting) from the discharge pressure line (P3) at the fuel control unit was disconnected. The threads of the "B" nut were also covered with soot.
The loss of engine power resulting from a disconnected discharge pressure line at the fuel control unit. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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