Rockwell S2R N4956X

Summary

On 10 August 2021 at about 12:40 local time, a Rockwell S2R registered N4956X, operated by Gunia Michel L, was involved in an accident near Strasburg, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 August 2021 at 12:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Strasburg, North Dakota, United States

Coordinates

46.0870, -100.2337

Aircraft

Rockwell S2R

Registration

N4956X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1985

Engines

1

Operator

Gunia Michel L

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Linton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21FA368

1 person died.

The pilot’s intentional flight under power lines and his failure to maintain clearance from the lines during an aerial application flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had completed one aerial application flight and was in the process of spraying a sunflower field. The flight track indicated that the airplane entered the area from the north and made a left turn over the field. The recorded flight track ended before the airplane descended toward the target field. It is likely that the pilot started spraying the field beginning at the northeast corner and headed west. A witness driving eastbound observed the airplane flying west after it exited the sunflower field. As the airplane flew under three power lines, the top of the vertical stabilizer hit the second line. The airplane then collided with the third line, crashed onto a road, and slid into a field. A colleague of the pilot, who was familiar with the operation, stated that he and the pilot had sprayed this field many times before and that they always used a north-south racetrack pattern. He had never seen the pilot spray this field in an east-west pattern before and added that it should not be done due to the large powerlines on the west side of the field. A postaccident examination of the accident site and airplane revealed wire strike signatures on the airplane. Two areas on the airplane exhibited black sooting and burn marks, which were indicative of the airplane contacting two power lines simultaneously resulting in electrical arcing. The airplane examination did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.