Aero Commander S2R accident near Vinton, Iowa, July 17, 2018
On July 17, 2018 at about 6:45 pm local time, a 1973 Aero Commander S2R, registered N5553X, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Vinton, Iowa (Vinton Veterans Memorial Airpo airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Loss of throttle control input due to a failure in the throttle control system. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate inspection and reinstallation of worn parts by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2018 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Vinton, Iowa · Vinton Veterans Memorial Airpo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander S2R, built 1973 · all S2Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5553X · no longer on the register · serial 1753R
- 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 pilot stated that on final approach, he slowed the airplane for landing. When the airplane crossed the end of the runway, he reduced the throttle back, but the airplane would not slow, so he executed a go-around. During the go-around, the engine lost partial power and would not respond to the pilot’s throttle inputs. The pilot then executed a forced landing in a cornfield, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. Examination of the throttle control system revealed that the interlocking teeth mechanisms between the carburetor lever stop assembly and the throttle control lever were worn and lost integrity to interconnect. The teeth on the lever stop assembly were severely worn. Thus, it is likely that during the accident flight, when the pilot actuated the throttle control lever, the throttle control system failed when the worn-down teeth on the lever stop would not engage the teeth on the mating throttle control lever. This caused a loss of the throttle lever input, which allowed the engine to enter a low rpm condition. The material examination also noted a mismatch in hardness of the associated parts; although the hardness values were typical for the respective part compositions and microstructures, the mismatch in hardness lent itself to higher wear rates. A review of the airplane’s maintenance records revealed that the carburetor had been removed for overhaul and reinstalled 135 hours before the accident. It is likely that maintenance personnel reinstalled the worn parts without thoroughly inspecting them.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Repair › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,141 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,139 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 4, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,680 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 12, 2018; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt And Whitney R-1340-S3H1-G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Noe Aviation Llc
The flight
- Departed from: KVTI Vinton IA at 5:54 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 4,000 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from KVTI, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N5553X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN18LA278.