Ayres S2R-T34 accident near Ville Platte, Louisiana, February 19, 2004
On February 19, 2004 at about 9:55 pm local time, a Ayres S2R-T34, registered N3092H, was destroyed in an accident near Ville Platte, Louisiana (Private Airstrip 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 2004 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Ville Platte, Louisiana · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres S2R-T34
- Registration
- N3092H · no longer on the register · serial T41-090DC
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 20,153-hour pilot reported that after takeoff from a private airstrip, the engine "surged" multiple times followed by a loss of engine power. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a nearby pasture. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a ditch, crossed a dirt road, impacted a second ditch and came to rest in the upright position. Examinations of the engine a fuel pump revealed no mechanical anomalies. The reason for the loss of engine power was undetermined.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 20,153 hours in all; 6,915 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 19,998 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 5, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,798.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 14, 2004; 12.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,641 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-41 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Ville Platte LA at 9:54 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 149°F (65°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:30 pm from LFT, 37 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.
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.