Hawkinsville, GA, USA
N6216M
THRUSH AIRCRAFT INC S2R-H80
On May 5, 2022, at 0930 eastern daylight time, a Thrush S2R-H80, N6216M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Hawkinsville, Georgia. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The pilot reported that he loaded the airplane with 325 gallons of chemicals and water for the planned aerial application flight. The pilot noticed that that during the takeoff roll, the airplane used more runway than normal to lift off. After takeoff, he noticed that engine “didn’t seem to produce power as usual”. He began a right turn and noticed “the power and airspeed [were] slowing”, after which he stopped the turn and attempted to keep the airplane as straight and level as possible. He checked the gauges and saw that the fuel pressure was fluctuating and immediately turned on the emergency fuel boost pump. He jettisoned the chemical load, however the airplane continued to lose altitude and airspeed, until it struck trees and terrain. A post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the electric airframe “main” fuel pump would not rotate when supplied with electrical power. The emergency fuel pump (of the same make/model as the main) rotated when supplied with electrical power. Both the main and emergency pump electric motors were partially disassembled. Black powdery material was found inside of both motor housings (see figure 1). Figure 1 - Main fuel pump motor. The engine gas generator rotor could not be rotated. A borescope examination of the gas generator turbine blades revealed that the blades were present and intact. About half of the power turbine blades were found bent in the direction of rotation, consistent with impact damage. The fuel filter was undamaged and absent of debris. The filter cavity was clean and contained a trace amount of fuel. Both of the electric fuel pumps were retained for further examination.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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