Accident Sequence
The pilot, who had accumulated 11,000 flight hours, reported that during an aerial application flight the engine began running rough. The pilot initiated a turn back toward the airport and attempted to gain altitude. At an altitude of approximately 200 feet above ground level and about half a mile from the runway, the engine shuddered violently and quit. The pilot then initiated a forced landing to a nearby pasture.
During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a wire fence, crossed two ditches, one road, impacted a second fence, crossed another pasture, and impacted a third fence before coming to rest upright in a plowed field.
Aircraft and Engine Information
Examination of the radial engine revealed that a piston connecting rod had separated from the piston. The operator reported that at the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated 462 hours since major overhaul and 300 hours since the last annual inspection.