Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B N6799K

Summary

On 30 January 2010 at about 18:30 local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B registered N6799K, operated by Pleasant Valley Aviation, was involved in an accident near Pullman, Washington, 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

30 January 2010 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Pullman, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Pullman-Moscow Regional (KPUW)

Coordinates

46.7406, -117.1033

Aircraft

Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B

Registration

N6799K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Pleasant Valley Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pullman → Pullman

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10LA122

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power during takeoff due to a bird's nest being sucked into the induction air ducting.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Due to the cold temperatures on the morning of the flight, the pilot followed the “Cold Weather Engine Operation” procedures in the Ag-Cat pilot handbook. Because those procedures called for the engine oil and cylinder head temperatures to reach a minimum level before takeoff, the pilot had run the engine on the ground for about 30 minutes prior to performing the pre-takeoff run-up check. During that check he exercised the carburetor heat system, which worked as prescribed. During the long run-up, a bird’s nest became dislodged and was sucked into the area near the carburetor inlet screen during the carburetor heat test. The condition of the nest remains indicated that during the increased volume and velocity air flow during takeoff, the nest partially disintegrated and ultimately covered a significant portion of the inlet screen surface. According to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who monitored the engine inspection, the nest was located inside the warm air pick-up ducting, which is an area that the pilot would not normally see into or check unless there was external visual evidence to indicate the need for a further inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.