Rockwell S2R N8468V

Summary

On 14 August 2012 at about 13:20 local time, a Rockwell S2R registered N8468V, operated by Royal Flying Service Inc., was involved in an accident near Royal City, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 August 2012 at 13:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Royal City, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Royal Flying Service airstrip (8WA)

Coordinates

46.8831, -119.5697

Aircraft

Rockwell S2R

Registration

N8468V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Royal Flying Service Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Royal City → Royal City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA356

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to the separation of the No. 2 cylinder exhaust rocker boss housing, which prevented the exhaust valve from opening.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that shortly after taking off for the aerial application flight the engine began to run rough. Because he could not maintain altitude and was concerned about clearing a set of power lines in front of him, the pilot partially dumped the airplane’s aerial application load. After the airplane cleared the power lines, the pilot attempted to land on a road; however, during the touchdown the airplane veered off of the road and into a ditch. A postaccident fire consumed the airplane. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 2 cylinder exhaust rocker boss housing had separated from the cylinder, which prevented the cylinder's exhaust valve from opening and resulted in the loss of engine power. Maintenance records revealed that the cylinder had been inspected in accordance with the time interval specified by the applicable Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive (AD). The AD specifies a 100-hour recurring inspection requirement; the engine had accumulated 91 hours since its last inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.