Accident Overview
On May 5, 2017, at about 1450 central daylight time, a Thrush Aircraft Inc. S2R-H80 airplane, registration N3045R, impacted terrain and a fence during a forced landing near Gypsum, Kansas, following a loss of engine power. The commercial pilot, who also held an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate, was uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial fuselage damage. The flight was operated by Central Ag Air LLC under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Marion Municipal Airport (43K) near Marion, Kansas, about 1350.
Pilot Actions
The pilot reported that after departing 43K to perform an aerial application about 35 miles to the northwest, he sprayed two fields before reaching a third field. During a pass, engine power decreased significantly. The pilot advanced the power lever full forward with no response. He continued several passes to reduce weight and attempted to regain power, but the engine did not improve. He then flew out of the field heading back to 43K but could not climb. After about 2 miles, smoke appeared from both exhausts, and the engine quit. The pilot chose an alfalfa field for the forced landing, touching down in a corner and a pasture, sliding through a fence before stopping. He turned off the master switch, unbuckled, opened the door, and exited.
Aircraft Information
N3045R was a full cantilever low-wing, all-metal monoplane (serial No. H80-140) designed for agricultural flying, with a maximum gross weight of 10,500 lbs. It was powered by a dual-spool turbopropeller GE H80-100 engine (serial No. 133001) producing 800 shaft horsepower. The engine had a 100-hour limitation on operation without an electric fuel pump. The airplane's fuel system included integral wing tanks with a total capacity of 228 gallons, a header tank, a 1/4-inch mesh finger strainer, a fuel shutoff valve, an emergency electric fuel pump, a main electric fuel pump, a 10-micron main fuel filter, and a fuel flow meter. The engine monitoring system was an Electronics International MVP-50T, which provided display of engine parameters and warnings but did not perform control functions. The airplane's flight manual prohibited continuous simultaneous operation of both fuel pumps due to high fuel pressure.
Maintenance History
The engine was built on August 3, 2013, and installed on September 12, 2013. A previous pilot reported a sensitive throttle; the fuel control unit (FCU) was replaced on October 24, 2014, at 494.34 total hours. On June 12, 2015, after a hot wire strike, the reduction gearbox bearings and FCU were replaced at 634.32 hours. The propeller governor was replaced on April 18, 2016, at 1,069.87 tachometer hours. The starting and limiting unit was replaced on August 25, 2016, due to starting issues. The FCU was again changed on November 7, 2016, for hot starts, at 1,629.27 total hours. The pilot installed a new main electric fuel pump (T1800[9]-B8) on August 4, 2016, but did not provide a logbook endorsement; it accumulated about 309 hours by the accident. The last annual inspection was completed on February 20, 2017, at 1,629.3 total hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated 1,737.6 total hours, 2,460 takeoffs, and 553 engine starts.
Meteorological Information
At 1453, the recorded weather at Salina Regional Airport near Salina, Kansas, was wind 320° at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 24°C, dew point 6°C, altimeter 30.02 inches of mercury.
Flight Manual Procedures
The AFM provided remedial actions for engine failure in-flight, including dumping the hopper, feathering the propeller, cutting off the fuel condition lever, setting the power lever to idle, turning off the fuel valve and fuel pump switches, and landing as soon as possible. For failure of automatic fuel scheduling, the AFM advised engaging the emergency governor switch, smoothly advancing the fuel condition lever, and landing as soon as practicable.