ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 145869
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| Date: | Sunday 27 May 2012 |
| Time: | 08:15 |
| Type: |  Grumman G-164A Ag-Cat |
| Owner/operator: | Harding Flying Service |
| Registration: | N8380 |
| MSN: | 874 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1971 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 12376 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney R1340 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | DeSomer Stables in Wilton, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Clarksburg, CA (PVT) |
| Wilton, CA (PVT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot had just completed an aerial application of sulfur dust over a vineyard when the hopper gate closing mechanism failed as he attempted to stop the flow. The sulfur continued to flow from the hopper, so he initiated a steep turn to keep the dust within the confines of the vineyard. As he rolled out of the turn, the plume of sulfur ignited and a fire began within the hopper. He performed a forced landing into a residential driveway and the airplane sustained substantial damage during the ground roll.
The airplane was configured to minimize the hazards of inadvertent fire during sulfur dusting operations; however, the evasive flight maneuver performed by the pilot may have brought the uninterrupted flow of sulfur dust into contact with hot engine exhaust. An alternative ignition source may also have been provided by a spark from the failed gate mechanism. The gate mechanism sustained thermal damage, which prevented an accurate assessment of its failure mode.
Probable Cause: The failure of the hopper gate mechanism and subsequent sulfur fire during a low-level maneuver.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-May-2012 11:01 | gerard57 | Added |
| 28-May-2012 21:33 | Geno | Updated [Location, Source] |
| 29-May-2012 17:43 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 20:40 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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