Schweizer G-164B N8214S

Summary

On 9 May 2013 at about 23:30 local time, a Schweizer G-164B registered N8214S, operated by Williams Ag Service, was involved in an accident near Biggs, California, United States. 2 people were on board. One person on the ground also died. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 May 2013 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Biggs, California, United States

Nearest airport

Williams Ag Service (Priv)

Coordinates

39.4228, -121.7636

Aircraft

Schweizer G-164B

Registration

N8214S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Williams Ag Service

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marysville → Biggs

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA223

Injuries not recorded.

The pilot’s failure to adequately monitor the runway environment during taxi, which resulted in an on-ground collision.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while in the traffic pattern for landing, he was told by ground operations personnel that maintenance was being performed on the runway. The pilot scanned the area and saw trucks parked on the south end of the airstrip property but nothing on the runway. The pilot continued the landing, and taxied the airplane down the runway after landing. Although the pilot was performing s-turns for visibility purposes, he did not see service equipment on the runway, and the airplane collided with it and the operator of that equipment. The operator, who was fatally injured, was pushing a blower down the center of the runway and was wearing hearing protection at the time of the collision. It is likely that, due to the hearing protection and the sound of the blower, the operator did not hear the airplane. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed minor damage to both the inlet scoop and the lower right wing lower surface.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.