Aero Commander S2R-T34 accident near Los Banos, California, August 5, 2002
On August 5, 2002 at about 1:20 pm local time, a Aero Commander S2R-T34, registered N8822Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Los Banos, California. 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
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2002 · about 1:20 pm local time
- Place
- Los Banos, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander S2R-T34 · all S2R-T34s on the register
- Registration
- N8822Q · registry record · serial 1522R
- 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 airplane collided with terrain while making a turn during an aerial application flight. The pilot had just finished his first pass over the field. He then pulled up and entered a left turn over hilly terrain along the farm's southern edge. The combined climbing turn and low airspeed were enough to stall the left wing. Shortly thereafter, the left wing contacted terrain. No mechanical malfunctions or failures were noted by the pilot prior to the mishap. Light winds were reported northwest from 1 to 3 knots.
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: 11,440 hours in all; 10,591 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 117 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 12, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,339.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 22, 2002; 43.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Los Banos CA at 1:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KMCE, 30 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 N8822Q 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 LAX02LA246.