Ayres S2R accident near Aberdeen, Idaho, June 6, 1996
On June 6, 1996 at about 2:50 pm local time, a Ayres S2R, registered N5686X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aberdeen, Idaho. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
pilot's improper planning/decision, and subsequent incapacitation, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control and collision with the terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: pilot fatigued from a long-distance drive with minimal rest, physical impairment of the pilot due to low hydration, his lack of recent experience in abrupt/high-G maneuvering, pilot anxiety/apprehension, the resultant motion sickness of the pilot, and his improper decision to continue flight after experiencing a physiological disturbance, all of which led to vasovagal syncope.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1996 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Aberdeen, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres S2R
- Registration
- N5686X · registry record · serial 2395R
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The simulated aerial application flight occurred about 0800 on the morning after the pilot made a 3-day, 22-1/2 hr drive; he had slept an average of less than 5-1/2 hours each night for the 3 previous nights, awakening at 0445 that morning. He reported '...my hydration...may have been low.' He had flown only 1 to 2 hrs during the previous 90 days, with no recent performance of abrupt or high-G maneuvers. He stated he was 'wound up with anticipation' before starting work (in his new job). He reported that after 10 to 12 touch-and-go landings, using steep pattern turns, followed by 15 to 20 practice swaths of a field, he experienced symptoms resembling those of motion sickness. He said he discontinued steep maneuvers, opened the air vents, and unzipped his Nomex flight suit. then he began feeling better. He then decided to resume swathing (contrary to published FAA advice regarding motion sickness encounters), but immediately after doing so, he experienced even more intense symptoms. He attempted to return to the airport, but en route, he started feeling clammy, sweaty, and light-headed; the next thing he remembered was 'waking up' in the aircraft after it crashed. A neurologist who evaluated the pilot reported he thought the pilot had a 'vasovagal response', which medical references describe as fainting in response to pain, shock, stress, or fear.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,425 hours in all; 2 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,800 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 30, 1996; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U36 Aberdeen ID at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5686X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.