Aero Commander S2R N5553X

Summary

On 17 July 2018 at about 18:45 local time, a Aero Commander S2R registered N5553X, operated by Noe Aviation Llc, was involved in an accident near Vinton, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 July 2018 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Vinton, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Vinton Veterans Memorial Airpo (KVTI)

Coordinates

42.2193, -92.0383

Aircraft

Aero Commander S2R

Registration

N5553X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Noe Aviation Llc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Vinton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA278

Nobody was injured.

Loss of throttle control input due to a failure in the throttle control system. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate inspection and reinstallation of worn parts by maintenance personnel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that on final approach, he slowed the airplane for landing. When the airplane crossed the end of the runway, he reduced the throttle back, but the airplane would not slow, so he executed a go-around. During the go-around, the engine lost partial power and would not respond to the pilot’s throttle inputs. The pilot then executed a forced landing in a cornfield, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. Examination of the throttle control system revealed that the interlocking teeth mechanisms between the carburetor lever stop assembly and the throttle control lever were worn and lost integrity to interconnect. The teeth on the lever stop assembly were severely worn. Thus, it is likely that during the accident flight, when the pilot actuated the throttle control lever, the throttle control system failed when the worn-down teeth on the lever stop would not engage the teeth on the mating throttle control lever. This caused a loss of the throttle lever input, which allowed the engine to enter a low rpm condition. The material examination also noted a mismatch in hardness of the associated parts; although the hardness values were typical for the respective part compositions and microstructures, the mismatch in hardness lent itself to higher wear rates. A review of the airplane’s maintenance records revealed that the carburetor had been removed for overhaul and reinstalled 135 hours before the accident. It is likely that maintenance personnel reinstalled the worn parts without thoroughly inspecting them.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.