Rockwell International S-2R accident near Royal City, Washington, May 24, 2012
On May 24, 2012 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Rockwell International S-2R, registered N8468V, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Royal City, Washington (Royal Flying Service airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from an object during an aerial application, which resulted in damage to the landing gear and led to the airplane ground looping during the subsequent landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2012 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Royal City, Washington · Royal Flying Service · 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
During an aerial application pass, the pilot mistakenly descended the airplane too early and struck a pipe on a center pivot irrigation system. As a result, the left main landing gear sustained damage, and the pilot flew the airplane back to the airport to land. The pilot stated that the airplane ground looped upon touchdown due to the damaged landing gear. The airplane's left wing was damaged during the ground loop. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to striking the object.
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
What happened, in order
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Damaged/degraded
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 713 hours in all; 302 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Royal Flying Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: 8WA Royal City WA at 3:10 pm
- Destination: 8WA Royal City WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,500 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 WPR12CA229.