Grumman G-164 N617Y

Summary

On 28 March 1998 at about 21:30 local time, a Grumman G-164 registered N617Y was involved in an accident near St. Joseph, Louisiana, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 March 1998 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Joseph, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

31.9496, -91.3706

Aircraft

Grumman G-164

Registration

N617Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA161

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the trees. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the ensuing forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Following three uneventful aerial application flights, the pilot removed the biplane's cockpit side windows. While completing the first pass of the fourth flight, the pilot 'noticed the plane did not perform as it had previously.' As he turned the airplane to begin the second pass, it settled into the trees bordering the field being sprayed. While in the trees, the pilot advanced the propeller and throttle controls and made an unsuccessful attempt to dump his load of herbicide. Upon reaching the edge of the trees, the pilot 'nosed the aircraft over to land in a small field before hitting the wire across the road.' As he flared to land, the airplane impacted the road embankment. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over, came to a stop in the inverted position, and began to burn. The postcrash fire consumed the fuselage, empennage, and the upper and lower right wings.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.