Incident Overview
On its first flight following maintenance, an aerial application airplane lost engine power less than a mile from its takeoff point. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a flat, soft wheat field. According to the pilot, during the landing flare, there was insufficient airspeed to fully arrest the descent, leading to a hard bounced landing that caused structural damage to the airplane.
Emergency Procedures
The pilot did not jettison the hopper load, which is a standard procedure for emergency landings without engine power for that specific aircraft model. This omission was reported to an FAA inspector.
Post-Impact Inspection
A post-accident examination of the power plant revealed that the fuel line was disconnected from the flow divider. No other anomalies were reported in the inspection.