Ayres THRUSH S2R-T15 accident near Quitman, Georgia, August 11, 1984
On August 11, 1984 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Ayres THRUSH S2R-T15, registered N40241, was destroyed in an accident near Quitman, 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
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
- August 11, 1984 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Quitman, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres THRUSH S2R-T15 THRUSH S2R
- Registration
- N40241 · no longer on the register · serial T-15-016DC
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT THE END OF SWATH RUN THE ACFT STRUCK A PIECE OF FARM EQUIPMENT DURING THE PULL-UP. AFTER THE COLLISION THE PLT NOTICED LIQUID TRAILING BEHIND THE ACFT AS HE RETURNED TO HIS DEPARTURE AIRPORT. UPON LDG WHEN THE LEFT WING SETTLEDCLOSE TO THE RWY, THE PLT REALIZED THAT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR HAD BEEN DAMAGED IN THE COLLISION. THE LANDING WAS ABORTED. AT ABOUT 75 FT AGL IN THE INITIAL CLIMB A TOTAL LOSS OF PWR WAS EXPERIENCED. THE PLT LANDED THE ACFT IN A CORN FIELD ANDTHE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY POST CRASH FIRE. THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS PRIOR TO CONTACTING THE FARM 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 60 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,545 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PW PT6-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 4J5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from VLD, 14 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.