Rockwell International S2R accident near Strasburg, ND
On August 10, 2021, a Rockwell International S2R (airplane) was involved in an accident near Strasburg, ND. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 10, 2021
- Place
- Strasburg, ND
- Aircraft
- Rockwell International S2R · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 46.087°N, 100.234°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210810103667
Official records · CEN21FA368
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 10, 2021, at 0740 central daylight time, a Rockwell International S2R agricultural airplane, N4956X, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Strasburg, North Dakota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. An employee of the pilot, who loaded the chemical on the airplane, stated that she met the pilot at the loading pad at 0630. She loaded the hopper with chemical, and the pilot departed about 0645. The pilot returned to the airport at 0721 after he sprayed the first field. The airplane was rinsed and loaded with a new chemical; the pilot departed again to spray a sunflower field. A colleague of the pilot, who was familiar with the operation, stated that the pilot was completing his second aerial application flight of the day and intended to apply insecticide to a sunflower field. He and the pilot had sprayed this field many times before, which was always done in a north-south racetrack pattern. He had never seen the pilot spray this field in an east-west pattern before and stated that it should not be done due to the large powerlines on the west side. A witness driving eastbound observed the airplane flying west after it exited the sunflower field. As the airplane flew under the three power lines, the tail clipped the second line, and the airplane collided with the last line, then crashed onto a road, and slid into a field. Figure 1 shows the airplane’s flight track plotted on Google Earth. The field being sprayed is highlight
Probable cause
The pilot’s intentional flight under power lines and his failure to maintain clearance from the lines during an aerial application flight.
More accidents in ND
- Cessna 401A, Feb 24, 1994
- Piper PA-24-250, Oct 22, 1986
- Cessna 441, Nov 18, 2018
- Piper PA 28-140, Jun 9, 2016
- Beech V35B, Jul 31, 1992
Browse: North Dakota · Rockwell International aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
