ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 35504
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| Date: | Tuesday 28 June 1994 |
| Time: | 19:54 LT |
| Type: |  Rockwell S-2R Thrush Commander |
| Owner/operator: | Tri Air, Inc. |
| Registration: | N4230X |
| MSN: | 1996R |
| Total airframe hrs: | 11036 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W R-1340-AN1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Firebaugh, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | (Q49) |
| (Q49) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE AIRPLANE WAS LOADED WITH 2,000 POUNDS OF POWDERED SULFUR. A WITNESS SAID THE AIRPLANE HAD JUST COMPLETED A SPRAY RUN, AND BEGAN A LEFT TURN TO MAKE WHAT THE WITNESS ASSUMED WAS A SOUTHBOUND RUN ON THE FIELD. FLAMES WERE SEEN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRPLANE IN THE VICINITY OF THE DISPENSER APPARATUS. THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED A LITTLE, STARTED TO CLIMB AGAIN, THEN SUDDENLY NOSED OVER AND DOVE VERTICALLY INTO THE GROUND. INFLIGHT AND POSTCRASH FIRE HAD TOTALLY CONSUMED ALL OF THE NON-STEEL AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, AND THE FIRE SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN MORE INTENSE IN THE AREA OF THE CHEMICAL HOPPER AND SPRAY APPARATUS. THE CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER SAID THE POWDERED SULFUR DUST USED IN AG OPERATIONS IS A MODERATE FIRE HAZARD ACCORDING TO NFPA CRITERIA. THE COMPOUND HAS A FLASH POINT OF 374 DEG F, YET STUDIES SHOW THAT CLOUDS OF DUST MAY IGNITE AT IGNITION TEMPS OF 190 DEG IN DENSITY LIMITS OF LESS THAN 0.1 OUNCES PER CUBIC FOOT.
Probable Cause: THE PILOT'S LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL AS A RESULT OF INCAPACITATION FROM AN IN-FLIGHT SULFUR FIRE.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX94LA268
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:22 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 10-Apr-2024 06:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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