Traver Ryan Buckelew
MORRIS EQUIPMENT LLC: http://registry.faa.gov/N4018Q
14 CFR Part 137: Agricultural
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 02, 2015 in Blythe, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/28/2016
Aircraft: AYRES CORPORATION S2R T34, registration: N4018Q
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot was conducting aerial application operations with the assistance of a spotter on the ground. The spotter saw the airplane fly over power lines along the perimeter of an adjacent field. The airplane then entered a nose-high attitude, consistent with the pilot’s normal practice of pushing the chemical toward the spreader doors. The airplane continued to climb in a near-vertical ascent until reaching about 500 ft above ground level, after which the airplane entered a nose-low vertical descent that continued to ground contact. An examination of the wreckage revealed that all major components were accounted for at the accident site, and flight control continuity was established. No unusual meteorological phenomena were reported by the closest weather station or observed by witnesses to the accident. It is likely that, during the nose-high maneuver, the airplane exceeded its critical angle-of-attack and experienced an aerodynamic stall.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On June 2, 2015, about 1040 Pacific daylight time, an Ayres Corporation S2R-T34, N4018Q, departed controlled flight and collided with terrain during a low pass in a field near Blythe, California. Morris Ag Air & Sons, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 137. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed. The local aerial application flight departed about 1000. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed.
The pilot was in radio contact with a spotter, who witnessed the accident and was also employed by the operator. He stated that the pilot departed about 0730 and had already sprayed one load of chemical. The pilot then reloaded and sprayed two fields (named P4 and P5) until the hopper was empty. The spotter then drove ahead to the next field to be sprayed, P2, and expected the airplane to reload at the airstrip and then come to spray P2. The pilot made a transmission to the spotter asking what the wind conditions were at the field. The spotter replied by telling him that there was a light wind from the southwest.
The spotter further stated that he witnessed the airplane coming from the south and clear the powerlines on the south perimeter of the field. The airplane then pitched in a nose-high attitude consistent with the pilot's normal operation of pushing the chemical toward the spread doors. The airplane continued to climb in a near vertical ascent until reaching about 500 feet above ground level (agl), at which point it transitioned into a nose-low vertical descent and collided into the field.
The operator stated that the pilot was likely en route back to the airstrip to reload fertilizer in the hopper when the accident occurred. He would have not been applying in the field area where he crashed.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION.
A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records revealed that the pilot, age 47, held a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor certificates and airplane ratings for single engine and multiengine land, as well as instrument flight. The pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate on November 18, 2014, with the limitation that he must have glasses for near vision.
The pilot's personal flight records were not recovered. On his last application for a medical certificate the pilot reported a total flight time of 5,000 hours of which 300 hours occurred in the 6 months prior to that date.
AIRPLANE INFORMATION
The low-wing, tailwheel equipped, fixed-gear airplane, was an Ayres Corporation (Thrush) S2R-T34, serial number T34-021, manufactured in 1980. It was powered by a Pratt and Whitney PT6A-34AG driving a Hartzell HC-B3TN-3D constant-speed propeller. No maintenance records were recovered for the airplane.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The closest weather observation station was located in Blythe, which was located 3 miles west of the accident site. About 10 minutes after the accident, the station reported a clear sky with the surface wind variable at 4 kts. No unusual meteorological phenomena were reported by the station or observed by witnesses to the accident.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The main wreckage was found at the following approximate global positioning system (GPS) coordinates: 33 degrees 35 minutes 19 seconds north latitude by 114 degrees 39 minutes 59 seconds west longitude. The accident site elevation was about 260 feet mean sea level.
The airplane came to rest in an agricultural field and the entire wreckage was located in the immediate vicinity. Situated about three miles west of the airport, the accident site was at the southeast corner field adjacent to an east-west paved road to the south and a north-south dirt road that made up the eastern border of the field. In the 75 ft between the accident site and the paved road was a dirt area where a row of powerlines paralleled the road. Immediately south of the paved road was a 30-foot-wide irrigation canal, which was oriented in an east-west direction and the south bank was bordered with trees.
The wings came to rest inverted and remained affixed to the fuselage. The leading edges of both wings were uniformly crushed aft and the skin was folded over itself in an accordianed appearance. A ground scar with the similar shape and dimensions as the leading edges of the wings, was located under the wreckage and oriented parallel to the paved road and powerlines. The crater in the middle of that ground scar was about four feet deep and contained portions of the propeller blades. The empennage was found partially intact and "scorpioned" forward over the wings. The rudder was attached to the vertical stabilizer and intact. The horizontal stabilizer and elevator control surfaces remained attached. All control surfaces were accounted for at the accident site.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy was performed by the County of Riverside Sheriff-Coroner. The autopsy report concluded that the death was the result of injuries sustained in the accident. The FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, conducted a toxicological examination. The report was negative for cyanide, volatiles (ethanol), carbon monoxide, and drugs.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
The airplane was equipped with a Satloc M3 DGPS global positioning system (GPS) recording device. The returns were recorded every 2 seconds and spanned from the first hit recorded for the flight at 0954:45 to the hit at 1039:32. A review of the return revealed that the airplane flew over several fields and then at 1039:10 exited the field area and headed north. For the last 20 seconds of the data, the airplane maintained an altitude of about 400-420 ft above ground level (agl) maneuvering about 110 to 120 kts. The accident site was located about 1,350 ft north of the last recorded hit.
The wings had been removed during recovery. The control surfaces remained attached to the wings. All separation points were along jagged and angular planes. Rod ends were bent at fracture points. The leading edges were crushed aft. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit controls to the control surfaces. The propeller blades that remained attached to the hub were bent and twisted.
Following the accident, a sample of the fuel from Morris Ag Air's fuel truck was submitted to a laboratory for testing. The analysis of the sample fell within the correct specifications.
14 CFR Part 137: Agricultural
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 02, 2015 in Blythe, CA
Aircraft: AYRES CORPORATION S2R T34, registration: N4018Q
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On June 2, 2015, about 1045 Pacific daylight time, an Ayres Corporation S2R-T34, N4018Q, departed controlled flight and collided with terrain during a low pass in a field near Blythe, California. Morris Ag Air & Sons, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 137. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed. The local aerial application flight departed about 1015. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed.
The pilot was in radio contact with a spotter, who witnessed the accident and was also employed by the operator. He stated that the pilot departed about 0730 and had already sprayed one load of chemical. He reloaded and sprayed two fields with the accident location intended to be the last spray of that trip. The spotter had driven ahead to the accident field and was waiting for the airplane to come from the southerly adjacent field. The pilot made a transmission to the spotter asking what the wind conditions were at the field. The spotter replied by telling him that there was a light wind from the southwest.
The spotter further stated that he witnessed the airplane coming from the north and clear the powerlines on the south perimeter of the field. The airplane then pitched in a nose-high attitude consistent with the pilot's normal operation of pushing the chemical toward the spread doors. The airplane continued to climb in a near vertical ascent until reaching about 500 feet above ground level (agl), at which point it transitioned into a nose-low vertical decent and collided into the field.
The pilot of a crop duster who died Tuesday when his plane crashed into an alfalfa field near Blythe has been identified as Yuma native Traver Ryan Buckelew.
A witness told deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department-Colorado River Station that the plane was spraying an alfalfa field with herbicide about 10:49 a.m. when it crashed in the field located along Seeley Avenue, west of Neighbours Boulevard, in an unincorporated area near Blythe.
Upon arrival, deputies and emergency personnel located the plane down with the pilot still inside, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The area was cleared of all personnel until members of the Riverside County Hazardous Materials Team could decontaminate the location. Once decontaminated, the scene was turned over to investigators.
Personnel from Cal Fire, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department-Colorado River Station, BLM, the coroner’s office, hazardous materials team, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded to investigate the crash.
The crash’s cause will be determined by the NTSB and FAA.
Buckelew, 47, grew up working in agriculture in the Yuma Valley and combined his love of flying with crop dusting, according to an obituary with Desert Valley Mortuary.
A funeral service will be held on June 14 at 11 a.m. at Desert Valley Mortuary, 138 N. Avenue B, Somerton.
Traver Ryan Buckelew of Yuma, Arizona
Born: October 28, 1967
Died: June 02, 2015
Obituary
Yuma native, Traver Ryan Buckelew tragically died in an ag plane accident on June 2nd in Blythe, California. Traver was born on October 28, 1967 to Roberta and Gary Buckelew.
He grew up working in agriculture in the Yuma Valley and combined his love of flying with crop dusting. Traver’s passion was his Cessna 172, and his Scottie dogs, especially Baron. Traver was an avid runner and loved hiking Telegraph Pass. Traver had a great many friends and will be remembered as a kind, generous and loyal man.
Traver was preceded in death by his father Gary Buckelew. He is survived by his wife Brandi, his mother Roberta Buckelew, sister Dana Hewitt (Brian), brother Brent Buckelew (Mario), nephew Erik Hewitt (Danielle), great-nephew Merrik Hewitt, and many cousins.
A funeral service will be held on Sunday, June 14th at 11:00 AM at Desert Valley Mortuary 138 N. Avenue B, Somerton, Arizona 85350 with minister Tamara Wagner officiating. Interment will follow at Yuma Pioneer Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Brent Buckelew, Justin Buckelew, Erik Hewitt, Rick Smith, Tom Bastien, Marcos Moore, Miles Morris, Phil Ekdahl, Ed Whitehead, Ryan McGuire, Cesar Dominguez, Les Briggs, Erik Lohman, Ronnie Van Why, Carvin Bryant,and Johnny Massey.
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