Ayres S2R-T15 accident near Mandale, Ohio, July 16, 1986
On July 16, 1986 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Ayres S2R-T15, registered N4015P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mandale, Ohio. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 1986 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Mandale, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres S2R-T15
- Registration
- N4015P · no longer on the register · serial T15-004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT STALLED IN TURBULENT AIR DURING A 180 TURN WHILE CROP SPRAYING AT ABOUT 150 FT AGL. THE PLT SAID HE INCREASED POWER & DROPPED THE ACFT NOSE WHILE TURNING AN ADDITIONAL 20 DEGREES TO AVOID TREES. THE RECOVERY OF POSITIVE CONTROL WAS IN PROCESS WHEN THE ACFT CONTACTED THE CORN CROP.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,150 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,264 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1986; 121 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6-27 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ruhe Sales,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 390I Leipsic OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from FDY, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N4015P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.