- Date
- May 18, 1984, 20:00 local (May 19, 1984, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- American Falls, ID
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4865XRockwell S-2R
- Weather
- Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840518019899A
- Case key
- 39804
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 load/ground crew reported that the plt planned to make 1 more spray run before flying back to the home base. When the acft did not return to the loading area, they assumed he had returned to the base. They drove 20 mi back to the base, but found neither the acft nor the plt, S0 they returned to the spray area. The acft was found where it had crashed on rolling/hilly terrain (at dusk). An exam revealed the propeller had contacted the ground appx 386 ft west of the principal impact point. There was evidence that the left wing spray boom had intermittently contacted the ground in a 10 to 15 deg circular arc to the north. The left main gear then contacted the uneven terrain. Beyond that, the acft crossed a gully/ditch, impacted rising terrain & came to rest in an inverted position. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found. This was the plt's 1st spray mission for the operator. About 18 mi east at burley, ID, the 1845 MDT wx was in part: 200 ft partial obscured, 3000 ft broken.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4865X
- Reported as
- Rockwell S-2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2060R
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN-L, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Ag Aero, Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 15, 1984 · 20 hours before
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,500 total · 6 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Dusk
- Wind
- 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BYI, 18 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 N4865X · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.