- Date
- August 8, 1998, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Dothan, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5033XRockwell S-2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 19, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980808029759A
- Case key
- 43645
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
Fuel Exhaustion due to the pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations. A factor was the power line.
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
According to the pilot, he had just finished spraying chemical on a field and was turning towards another field. He was at 200-300 feet when the engine 'popped' and quit. He attempted to restart, and set up to land on a county road. The vertical stabilizer struck a power line, and the airplane yawed to the left. The airplane then touched down, bounced, struck a tree, and ground looped, finally coming to rest near the treeline. According to the FAA Inspector who examined the airplane. The pilot had departed Headland Municipal Airport with about 65 gallons of fuel onboard, 50 gallons in the left tank and 15 gallons in the right. According to the pilot, the airplane burns about 50 gallons of fuel an hour. Examination of the airplane found no fuel remaining in the fuel tanks nor any odor of fuel at the crash site.
Factual narrative
On August 8, 1998, at 1030 central daylight time, a Rockwell International S-2R, N5033X, collided with power lines and the ground after experiencing a loss of engine power near Dothan, Alabama. The aerial application flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 137, and visual flight rules. No flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The commercial pilot was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight departed Headland Municipal Airport at 0930.
According to the pilot, he had just finished spraying chemical on a field and was turning towards another field. He was at 200-300 feet when the engine "popped" and quit. He attempted to restart, and set up to land on a county road. He applied full flaps and was committed to land when a truck on the county road noticed him and stopped on his intended landing point. The pilot stated he pulled back and flew between the truck and power lines. The vertical stabilizer struck the power lines, and the airplane yawed to the left. The airplane then touched down, bounced, struck a tree, and ground looped, finally coming to rest near the treeline.
According to the FAA Inspector who examined the airplane. The pilot had departed Headland Municipal Airport with about 65 gallons of fuel onboard, 50 gallons in the left tank and 15 gallons in the right. According to the pilot, the airplane burns about 50 gallons of fuel an hour. Examination of the airplane found no fuel remaining in the fuel tanks nor any odor of fuel at the crash site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5033X
- Reported as
- Rockwell S-2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5065R
- Airframe hours
- 6,818
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN-1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Merrill Aviation Services
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 20, 1998 · 75 hours before
- Departed
- 0J6 · Headland, AL
- Airport
- OJ6 · Headland Municipal A/P
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,815 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 5,750 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DHN, 5 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.