# Accident 20230303003019A: Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B, Vernalis, CA, March 3, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 3, 2023, 12:28 local time
- Place: Vernalis, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: ROJG
- Location: 37.6312° N, 121.2348° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.6312&lon=-121.2348&mi=10
- Aircraft: N48492, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N48492) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164B (registry code 3952802, https://openairdocs.org/model/grumman-acft-eng-cor-schweizer-g-164b) (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: GRUMMAN ACFT ENG COR-SCHWEIZER G-164B
- Reported engine: P&W R-985 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 17,000 total, 16,000 in this make and model, 50 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR23LA120](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA120) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230303003019A

## Narrative

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

ON MARCH 3, 2023, A GRUMMAN G-164-B,^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS IN THE PROCESS OF DISPENSING AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS WHEN THE AIRCRAFT MADE CONTACT WITH A HIGH-TENSION POWER LINE. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO HAVE FLOWN UNDER THE POWERLINE AND SNAGGED THE LOWER LINE, CUTTING THE LINE IN HALF. THE AIRCRAFT CRASH-LANDED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE AIRMAN WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE AIRCRAFT; HOWEVER, THE AIRMAN RECEIVED SEVERE INJURIES.

## 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 WPR23LA120](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA120), Mar 3, 2023: Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164B (N48492), Vernalis, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line during a low-level aerial application flight.

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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