Aero Commander S2R accident near Cochran, Georgia, July 17, 2002
On July 17, 2002 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Aero Commander S2R, registered N8943Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cochran, Georgia. 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
A loss of power while conducting aerial application to cotton crops due to failure of a magneto housing, and the resultant emergency descent and landing to an unsuitable field, causing the collision with a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2002 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cochran, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander S2R · all S2Rs on the register
- Registration
- N8943Q · registry record · serial 1613R
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After about 45 minutes of aerial application to cotton crops, following the third pass on his second field, the pilot reported his engine started backfiring and shaking violently. He started for his home field, but could not sustain level flight. He chose a cotton field for an emergency landing, but his right wing struck a tree causing damage to the wing and main landing gear. Post crash examination of the engine revealed a broken magneto housing, causing defective ignition timing.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,455 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 4,311 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 15, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,201.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 7, 2001; 185.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pezetel 35R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48A Cochran GA at 11:15 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from MCN, 21 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.