- Date
- April 26, 1997, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lincolnton, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8473VRockwell S-2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 7, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970426006689A
- Case key
- 3840
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning of the fuel requirement for this flight that resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent loss of engine power.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, he checked the fuel gauges before attempting the takeoff, and thought there was enough fuel to complete the spraying operation. The pilot stated that after liftoff from the private airstrip, the airplane lost engine power. The airplane collided with utility lines approximately 100 feet from the departure end of runway 27. During the examination of the airplane, no fuel was recovered from the fuel system. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On April 26, 1997, at 1030 eastern daylight time, a Rockwell International S-2R (Thrush), N8473V, collided with utility wires and the ground during an emergency landing near Lincolnton, Georgia. The aerial application flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 137 with no flight plan filed. According to the pilot, visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the commercial pilot was not injured. The flight departed an aerial application staging field in Lincolnton, Georgia, at 1028.
According to the pilot, he checked the fuel gauges before attempting the takeoff, and thought there was enough fuel to complete the spraying operation. The pilot recalled that after liftoff from the staging area, the airplane lost engine power. After the pilot selected an area for the emergency landing, the airplane collided with nearby utility lines. The airplane impacted the ground approximately 100 feet from the departure end of runway 27.
During the examination of the airplane, no fuel was recovered from the fuel system. No mechanical problems were discovered, nor did the pilot report experiencing a mechanical problem with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8473V
- Reported as
- Rockwell S-2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2233R
- Airframe hours
- 5,940
- Engine
- P&W 1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- James P. Wimberly
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 25, 1997 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Airport
- NONE · Private, runway 27, 4,000 × 50 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 5,940 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AGS, 35 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.