Rockwell International S-2R accident near Royal City, Washington, June 12, 2003
On June 12, 2003 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Rockwell International S-2R, registered N8468V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Royal City, Washington. 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 a 20 foot high post while applying chemicals to an agricultural field, which resulted in impact damage to the right main landing gear, and ultimately to a collapse of the subject gear during the subsequent landing roll. Factors include a post within the area that the pilot was applying chemicals to.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2003 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Royal City, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell International S-2R · all S-2Rs on the register
- Registration
- N8468V · no longer on the register · serial 2228R
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While applying chemicals to a field, the pilot inadvertently allowed the aircraft's right main landing gear to impact a 20 foot high post. He then dispersed the remainder of his load and returned to the strip he was using as his base of operations. Knowing that the right gear had been damaged, the pilot held the right wing higher than the left as long as he could during the landing roll, but when the right main gear touched the landing surface it collapsed. When the gear collapsed, the right wing came in contact with the terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing main spar.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,060 hours in all; 147 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 20, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 30, 2003
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Royal City WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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 N8468V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA03LA101.