Aero Commander S2R accident near Jackson, Missouri, April 11, 1986
On April 11, 1986 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Aero Commander S2R, registered N5564X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jackson, Missouri. 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
- April 11, 1986 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson, Missouri · 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
- N5564X · no longer on the register · serial 1764R
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IN CRUISE FLT THE PIC SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING AND NOTICED BLACK AND WHITE SMOKE POURING FM THE ENG COWLING. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A PARTIAL LOSS OF PWR. A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD. THE PIC NOTICED FLAMES ERUPTING FM THE ENG AREA AFTER EXITING THE ACFT. LATER INSPECTION REVEALED A LOOSE EXHAUST COLLECTOR RING CLAMP HAD SLIPPED OUT OF POSITION. THE RESULTANT SEPARATION OF THE EXHAUST TUBING ALLOWED THE HOT EXHAUST TO BE DIVERTED TO THE CARBURETOR AREA OF THE ENG AND A FIRE ENSUED. THE HOT EXHAUST WAS INGESTED INTO THE CARBURETOR INLET CONTRIBUTING TO THE ENG'S PARTIAL PWR LOSS.
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; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,453 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 12,875 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,800 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 13, 1985; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CGI Cape Girardeau MO at 5:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from CGI, 8 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.