What happened
On June 14, 2017, at approximately 1600 UTC, a Turbo Thrush AG S2R, registration 4X-AQS, performed an off-airport landing near Megiddo Airport in Megiddo, Israel. The aircraft was being operated as a local agricultural aerial application flight under the provisions of the Israel Civil Aviation Regulations.
During the flight, the pilot detected an issue with the engine and subsequently shut it off. The pilot then landed the aircraft in a field. The pilot was not injured, and the aircraft sustained no damage.
The investigation
An examination of the PT6-34AG engine was conducted, which revealed the presence of metal chips within both the oil filter and the chip detector. At the time of the incident, the engine had 205 hours since its last overhaul.