Rockwell S2R accident near Bono, Arkansas, July 18, 1989
On July 18, 1989 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Rockwell S2R, registered N8425V, was destroyed in an accident near Bono, Arkansas. 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 AIRSPEED DURING A GO-AROUND RESULTING IN THE AIRPLANE STALLING/MUSHING AND DESCENDING OUT OF CONTROL UNTIL COLLISION WITH TREES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 1989 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bono, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell S2R
- Registration
- N8425V · no longer on the register · serial 2185R
- 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 DECIDED TO MAKE A GO-AROUND AFTER ATTEMPTING TO LAND WITH A TAILWIND. INSUFFICIENT CLEAR AREA EXISTED TO COMPLETE THE GO-AROUND AND THE PILOT TURNED DOWNWIND TO AVOID A TREE. THE ACFT SETTLED UNCONTROLLED INTO TREES, AND CRASHED IN A RICE FIELD.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 320 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 4,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1989; 420 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT-6-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Bono AR at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from JBR, 10 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.