Amateur-built S-2R accident near Alvin, Texas, May 3, 1982
On May 3, 1982 at about 6:45 pm local time, a amateur-built S-2R, registered N8456V, was destroyed in an accident near Alvin, Texas (Alvin airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 1982 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Alvin, Texas · Alvin
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built S-2R
- Registration
- N8456V · no longer on the register · serial 2216R
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT'S FATHER REPORTED THAT HE AND HIS SON WERE EN ROUTE IN SEPARATE AIRCRAFT TO APPLY FERTILIZER TO A RICE FIELD. HE NOTICED HIS SON DIVE FROM 500 FT TO ABOUT 100 FT WHERE THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE TOP GROUND WIRES OF A TRANSMISSION LINE. THE PLANE CRASHED IN A FIELD AND BURNED, AND THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY BURNED. THE CONTINUITY OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED SINCE THE ALUMINUM TORQUE TUBES WERE BURNED. HOWEVER, ALL OF THE STEEL BELLCRANKS AND ROD ENDS WERE IN PLACE.
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: 2,900 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: U/A Of Canada PT6A-27 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Alvin TX at 12:35 pm
- Destination: Alvin TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 4,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N8456V 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.