Grumman G-164A N48442

Summary

On 15 July 1996 at about 20:00 local time, a Grumman G-164A registered N48442 was involved in an accident near New Plymouth, Idaho, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 July 1996 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

New Plymouth, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

43.9397, -116.8007

Aircraft

Grumman G-164A

Registration

N48442

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA96LA155

Nobody was injured.

a cracked cylinder head, which resulted in partial loss of engine power during takeoff. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot allowed the gross weight of the airplane to be exceeded, and tall wheat (crop) in the emergency landing area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had just loaded 1,500 pounds of dry fertilizer for the next aerial application run. During the takeoff ground roll, approaching the departure end of the runway, the pilot noted that the airspeed was still too low for liftoff. He opted to dump the load and pull up to try and fly in ground effect. The airplane lifted off, but it settled in a nose high attitude into a field of tall wheat. The airplane decelerated and came to rest inverted. After the airplane was removed, the engine was inspected. During the inspection, a crack on the head of the number eight cylinder was found between the intake and exhaust valves. A weight and balance calculation showed the airplane was approximately 540 pounds over its maximum certified gross weight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.