Rockwell S-2R accident near Dothan, Alabama, August 8, 1998
On August 8, 1998 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Rockwell S-2R, registered N5033X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dothan, Alabama (Headland Municipal A/P airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel Exhaustion due to the pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations. A factor was the power line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1998 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dothan, Alabama · Headland Municipal A/P · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell S-2R
- Registration
- N5033X · no longer on the register · serial 5065R
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he had just finished spraying chemical on a field and was turning towards another field. He was at 200-300 feet when the engine 'popped' and quit. He attempted to restart, and set up to land on a county road. The vertical stabilizer struck a power line, and the airplane yawed to the left. The airplane then touched down, bounced, struck a tree, and ground looped, finally coming to rest near the treeline. According to the FAA Inspector who examined the airplane. The pilot had departed Headland Municipal Airport with about 65 gallons of fuel onboard, 50 gallons in the left tank and 15 gallons in the right. According to the pilot, the airplane burns about 50 gallons of fuel an hour. Examination of the airplane found no fuel remaining in the fuel tanks nor any odor of fuel at the crash site.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,815 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 5,750 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,818 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1998; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0J6 Headland AL at 1:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from DHN, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.