# NTSB CHI99LA287: Rockwell S-2R, N4923X, Garden City, KS, August 11, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 11, 1999, 09:50 local (14:50 UTC) - Place: Garden City, KS - Coordinates: 37.969627, -100.860015 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.9696&lon=-100.8600&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report January 18, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47026 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI99LA287 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47026/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA287 ## Probable cause The pilot's misjudging his pull-up maneuver resulting in contact with the wire. A contributing factor was the wire. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, maneuvering - aerial application - object - wire,transmission (contributing factor) - pull-up - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - clearance - not maintained - Loss of control - in flight, maneuvering - aerial application - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The aerial application airplane had completed its swath run. The airplane struck power lines located at the edge of the field being sprayed during a pull-up maneuver. The pilot said, '...I misjudged my initial point of pull up and contacted the top wire between two poles with the [airplanes] right [main] landing gear.' The pilot said the wires were hard to see. The on-scene investigation revealed the wires were suspended between 2 poles about 1/4 mile apart. ## Factual narrative On August 11, 1999, at 0950 central daylight time (cdt), a Rockwell S-2R Thrush, N4923X, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when it struck a power line during a pull-up maneuver at the end of a spraying swath run. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Garden City, Kansas, at 0900 cdt. The pilot said, "I was on my third swath run from the north side of the field heading west, when I misjudged my initial point of pull up and contacted the top wire between two poles with the [airplanes'] right main [landing] gear. There was a big jolt, and I felt the plane begin to slow down, so I proceeded to lower the nose of the aircraft to maintain my airspeed and hopefully break the wire. Approximately 300 yards west of the power line it finally broke." According to the Federal Aviation Administration Principal Maintenance Inspector who examined N4923X and the power line, the pilot said he did not see the wire in time to avoid striking it. The poles suspending the wires were about 1/4 mile apart. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4923X](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4923X-2004-08-25), registration cancelled 2004-08-25, S/N 2119R, built 1974 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Rockwell S-2R - Registry model: [Rockwell International S-2R](https://openairdocs.org/model/rockwell-international-s-2r) (registry code 7630202) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney R1340 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (registry code 52016, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 2119R - Airframe hours: 6573 - Engines: P&W R-1340AN1 600 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Deines Aero Spray, Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, March 1, 1999, 140 hours before - Departed: GCK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 25; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: center; flight hours: 1,621 total, 1,032 in this make and model, 1,594 as pilot in command, 236 in the last 90 days, 127 in the last 30 days, 8 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 210° at 12 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 82 °F, dew point 66 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: GCK, 8 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990811011759A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990811011759A), Aug 11, 1999: Ayres S2R, Garden City, KS, Substantial damage. Acft struck power lines during aerial application and sustained substantial damage. (.19) on August 11, 1999, at 0950 central daylight time, a rockwell S-2R… ## Other investigations on N4923X (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI03LA243](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA243), Aug 2, 2003: Rockwell International S-2R (N4923X), Mitchell, SD, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and not maintaining clearance from the power line during the low level aerial application maneuver. A related factor was the power line. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.