Ayres S2R accident near Firebaugh, California, June 21, 1988
On June 21, 1988 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Ayres S2R, registered N5512X, was destroyed in an accident near Firebaugh, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. 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
- June 21, 1988 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Firebaugh, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres S2R
- Registration
- N5512X · no longer on the register · serial 1712R
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING RUN, THE AIRPLANE WAS REQUIRED TO FLY UNDER POWER LINES TO COMPLETE THE JOB. THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN FLYING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WIRES. THE AIRPLANE INITIALLY CONTACTED A LEVEE WITH THE WING AND THEN COLLIDED WITH A POWER POLE. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT. THE AIRPLANE WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. THERE WERE NO REPORTED MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,902 hours in all; 1,144 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 153 in the last 30 days; 1,556 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,299 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 1988; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.
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.