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Accidents · NTSB MKC85LA096 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Aero Commander S2R accident near Grady, Arkansas, May 7, 1985

On May 7, 1985 at about 1:20 pm local time, a Aero Commander S2R, registered N1754S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grady, Arkansas. 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
May 7, 1985 · about 1:20 pm local time
Place
Grady, Arkansas · 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
N1754S · registry record · serial 1464 R
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

AG AIRPLANE WAS BEING FLOWN ON A SPRAY RUN WHEN THE LEFT WING HIT A TREE. IMPACT WITH TREE AND GROUND DEMOLISHED THE AIRPLANE. PILOT WAS WEARING HELMET AND SEAT BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS WAS FASTENED. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.

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: 4,200 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 4,200 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: ctr

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 3,295 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1985
  • Maximum gross weight: 6,900 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: P&W R1340 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 270° at 2 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.