Thrush Aircraft INC S-2R accident near Newkirk, Oklahoma, August 7, 2012
On August 7, 2012 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Thrush Aircraft INC S-2R, registered N5596X, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Newkirk, Oklahoma. 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
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2012 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Newkirk, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Thrush Aircraft INC S-2R · all S-2Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5596X · registry record · serial 5095R
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an aerial application flight over a river, the pilot was spreading seed when the airplane struck and severed all four wires of an electrical transmission power line. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted tall vegetation. The fuselage, empennage, and both wings were substantially damaged. According to the pilot and photographs of the area, neither the transmission wires nor the poles were visible above the tree line adjacent to the river banks. The pilot stated that he had been warned about the transmission lines that extended over the river and should have located them before the application portion of the flight began.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Sensory ability/limitation › (general) › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,613 hours in all; 1,586 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 11, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,141 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 9, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Walter M601E-11 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bluestem Aerial Sprayers LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Newkirk OK at 4:50 pm
- Destination: OK48 Newkirk OK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KPNC, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N5596X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.