- Date
- August 15, 1988, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Swifton, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8856QRockwell S-2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880815035849A
- Case key
- 34632
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
Shortly after takeoff during an aerial application operation, the pilot said he was unable to establish a positive climb. After traveling about 1 mile, he elected to dump his dry fertilizer load. When he dumped the load, the increased aerodynamic drag caused by the air block on the large spreader, plus the high ambient temperature and density altitude and comparatively low airspeed, caused the aircraft to stall/mush into the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8856Q
- Reported as
- Rockwell S-2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2342R
- Airframe hours
- 2,500
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Whited Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 20, 1988 · 350 hours before
- Departed
- Swifton, AR
- Airport
- K.C. Harlin
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 5,000 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 99 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LIT, 80 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.
Other investigations on N8856Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.