- Date
- November 1, 1988, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sublette, KS
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5517XRockwell S2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881101048829A
- Case key
- 34717
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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
While conducting an aerial application operation, the aircraft struck some cross-country power lines. The acft nosed down and struck the terrain, causing substantial damage to the acft and serious injuries to the pilot. The pilot was unable to recall the events immediately before striking the power lines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5517X
- Reported as
- Rockwell S2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5077R
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Stapleton, Dorsey G.
- Registered owner
- Weeks, Dennis E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 16, 1988 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- KS51 · Watson, KS
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 9,000 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GCK, 25 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.