What happened
The accident occurred while the aircraft was climbing during an aerial application flight. The engine lost power, prompting the pilot to make a decision regarding the landing site. The pilot elected to land in a nearby field rather than attempting to return to the airport or continue the climb.
During the landing roll, the left main landing gear collided with a stump. This impact caused the left main landing gear to fail. The pilot stated that after the accident, he drained the fuel tanks and recovered 18 gallons of fuel. However, this claim was not confirmed by investigators.
The investigation
Investigators examined the engine following the accident. The engine ran normally during an operational check performed after the incident. This finding suggests that the engine itself may not have suffered a mechanical failure that would prevent it from running under test conditions.
Findings
The primary factors contributing to the accident were the loss of engine power during climb and the subsequent hard landing. The pilot's decision to land in a field resulted in damage to the left main landing gear after striking an obstacle. The recovery of 18 gallons of fuel was noted but unverified, leaving the exact cause of the power loss undetermined based on available evidence.