Ayres S2R-R3S accident near Kerman, California, February 27, 1983
On February 27, 1983 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Ayres S2R-R3S, registered N40160, was destroyed in an accident near Kerman, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. 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
- February 27, 1983 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Kerman, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres S2R-R3S
- Registration
- N40160 · no longer on the register · serial R3S-007
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT RETURNING FROM A SPRAY MISSION COLLIDED WITH A TREE AND CRASHED NEAR THE PILOTS HOME. THE PILOT MADE A LOW PASSOVER HIS HOUSE TO LET HIS WIFE KNOW HE HAD RETURNED. HE MADE A SPRAY RUN OVER HIS OWN VINEYARD AND COLLIDED WITH A LARGETREE WHILE PULLING UP AND ROLLING. AFTER TREE CONTACT THE ACFT KEPT ROLLING AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND TO INDICATE ANY PRE-IMPACT FAILURES IN EQUIPMENT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 975 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 31, 1982; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wright R1820-71 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Q77 Kerman CA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.