- Date
- September 10, 1985, 19:20 local (Sep 11, 1985, 02:20 UTC)
- Place
- Coalinga, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4853XRockwell S-2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850910029479A
- Case key
- 24834
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 stated that he turned onto the final approach for landing on rwy 36 as the sun set on his unlighted ag strip. He said that he lost sight of the strip during the landing flare, and driftd of the right side of the runway into high vegetation. The drag of the vegetation nosed the acft over on its back.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4853X
- Reported as
- Rockwell S-2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2039R
- Airframe hours
- 2,500
- Engine
- P&W R1340AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Farm Flite Ag Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1985 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- Coalinga, CA
- Airport
- Duster Strip, runway 36, 2,600 × 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--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.