Rockwell S-2R accident near Belzoni, Mississippi, July 18, 1998
On July 18, 1998 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Rockwell S-2R, registered N8488V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belzoni, Mississippi. 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 malfunction in the engine blower section, resulting in oil starvation, the seizure of the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 1998 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Belzoni, Mississippi · 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
- N8488V · registry record · serial 2248R
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had completed spraying a field, and was returning to the airstrip to pick up more chemicals. The flight was at an altitude of 400 feet when the pilot reported that the airplane's engine lost complete power. The pilot elected to make a forced landing in a rice field. During the landing roll, the left main landing gear wheel got caught in mud, causing the airplane to pull left, the right wing to strike the ground, and the airplane to come to rest on it's nose. Examination of the engine revealed that most of the engine oil had been pumped overboard from the area of the blower impeller, due to a malfunction of the blower, and caused the engine to seize.
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: 3,907 hours in all; 2,271 in this make and model; 161 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 3,834 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,110 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 18, 1998; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from GLH, 40 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.