Rockwell S-2R N4996X

Summary

On 9 July 1998 at about 17:00 local time, a Rockwell S-2R registered N4996X was involved in an accident near Pasco, Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 July 1998 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Pasco, Washington, United States

Coordinates

46.4092, -118.8998

Aircraft

Rockwell S-2R

Registration

N4996X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA98LA125

Nobody was injured.

Separation of the throttle linkage which resulted in the loss of power. Factors include worn throttle linkage parts and the furrows in the plowed field which was the available field for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while taking off to the west and climbing through about 40 feet above ground, the engine went to idle. He stated that he dropped his chemical load and immediately landed in an open potato field. The landing roll was crosswise to the furrows and the aircraft ultimately nosed over. FAA on-site inspection revealed a disconnect of the throttle linkage just forward of the firewall where it attaches to a 90 degree bell-crank designed to translate forward/aft motion into left/right lateral motion. The threads on the bell-crank attach end of the longitudinal throttle tube were found to be heavily worn.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.