NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CHI00LA257
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The inadvertent stall/spin encountered by the pilot. A factor was the low altitude.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On August 14, 2000, at 1020 eastern daylight time, an Ayers S2R-600, N3103B, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed on impact with terrain while maneuvering near Bad Axe, Michigan. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was not on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The local flight originated from the Huron County Memorial Airport, Bad Axe, Michigan, at about 1005. Witnesses to the accident reported that they saw the aircraft performing an aerial application flight and was making a turn at the end of a northbound pass. One of the witnesses reported that during the turn, "...the left wing dropped, nose went down, and the aircraft spun to the left." A second witness reported that, "...in the middle of the turn about that the plane seemed to be turning a little to[o] sharp. He was flying north turning to the west when about halfway is when it dipped real bad and made about 3/4 of a revolution and came nose first into the ground." The witness also stated that he did not hear a difference in engine sound when the accident occurred. A third witness reported that the aircraft, "...turned right then left at about 2/3 of the way around the plane seemed to turn real sharp then turned over and spiraled to the ground. A fourth witness reported that the aircraft was, "...spraying from south to north, and was in the process of making a turn to his left and was starting to come out of the turn when the plane started to roll or spin down. I could hear the engine thru out the spraying process and the sound of the engine never seem[ed] to change thru out this period."
PERSONEL INFORMATION
The pilot, a 22-year-old male, was the holder of a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single engine, multi-engine, and instrument privileges. He held a second-class medical certificate issued on March 21, 2000. Federal Aviation Administration records indicate that the pilot had accumulated 1,900 total flight hours as of the date of his medical certificate. The pilot's flight logbooks were not located during the investigation.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was an Ayres model S2R-600, serial number 2583R. A Pratt and Whitney R1340 series engine originally powered the aircraft. In 1996, an Allied Signal TPE 331-1 turboprop engine was installed on the airframe in accordance with Supplemental Type Certificate SA01068AT. According to the aircraft logbooks, the aircraft had accumulated 2,848 hours total time in service at the time of it's last annual inspection performed on January 14, 2000. According to the engine logbook, the engine had accumulated 849 hours since overhaul as of the date of the annual inspection. A postaccident examination of the aircraft failed to reveal any anomalies that could be associated with a preexisting condition.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
A weather report taken at the Huron County Memorial Airport at 1021 edt listed the weather as: Ceiling 4,400 feet broken, 5,000 feet overcast; Visibility 10 statute miles; Temperature 71 degrees Fahrenheit; Dewpoint 63 degrees Fahrenheit; Winds 040 degrees magnetic at 6 knot; Altimeter setting 30.08 inches of mercury.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy was performed at the Huron Memorial Hospital in Bad Axe, Michigan, on August 14, 2000. A Forensic Toxicology report showed that 6.52 ug/ml of Acetaminophen was detected in the pilots blood. Acetaminophen is a nonprescription medication used to treat mild pain or fever. The airplane was performing an aerial application flight when it impacted the ground while making a turn at the end of a spray pass. Witnesses to the accident reported that they saw the aircraft making a turn at the end of northbound pass. One of the witnesses reported that during the turn, "...the left wing dropped, nose went down, and the aircraft spun to the left." A second witness reported that, "...in the middle of the turn about that the plane seemed to be turning a little to[o] sharp. He was flying north turning to the west when about halfway is when it dipped real bad and made about 3/4 of a revolution and came nose first into the ground." The witness also stated that he did not hear a difference in engine sound when the accident occurred. A third witness reported that the aircraft, "...turned right then left at about 2/3 of the way around the plane seemed to turn real sharp then turned over and spiraled to the ground. A fourth witness reported that the aircraft was, "...spraying from south to north, and was in the process of making a turn to his left and was starting to come out of the turn when the plane started to roll or spin down. I could hear the engine thru out the spraying process and the sound of the engine never seem[ed] to change thru out this period." A postaccident examination of the aircraft did not reveal any anomalies that could be associated with a preexisting condition. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2000_CHI00LA257.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
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