# Accident 19970428012129A: Scwzer G164A, Hatch, NM, April 28, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 28, 1997, 08:45 local time
- Place: Hatch, NM
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: WBKG
- Location: 32.6590° N, 107.1493° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.6590&lon=-107.1493&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7696, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7696-2013-05-09) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164A (registry code 3952801, https://openairdocs.org/model/grumman-acft-eng-cor-schweizer-g-164a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985 series (registry code 52008, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r-985-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SCWZER G164A
- Reported engine: PWA R985AN1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 7,000 total, 6,100 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA167](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA167) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970428012129A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

FACING SUN STRUCK UNSEEN WIRES DURING A SWATH RUN. WAS TOLD OF WIRES PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. CRASHED IN DITCH MINUS WING. (-23) AIRCRAFT HIT POWER LINES DURING AERIAL SPRAYING OPERATIONS. AFTER HITTING POWER LINES AIRCRAFT HIT PAVEMENT (N.M. HWY 185) (MP33) AND SKID INTO DITCH. AIRCRAFT SUBSTANTIALLY TO DESTROYED (DAMAGE). PILOT SUSTAINED CRITICAL INJURIES, FRACTURED FACIAL BONES, CLAVICAL AND ONE RIB; BRUISED LIVER AND SPLEEN. PILOT IS STABLE IN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, LAS CRUCES, NM.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97LA167](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA167), Apr 28, 1997: Grumman-Schweizer G-164A (N7696), Hatch, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the wires. A factor was the sunglare.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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