- Date
- February 19, 1984, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Dawson, GA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6558KGrumman G-164B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840219051559A
- Case key
- 6257
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A failed cylinder head assembly resulted in a total power loss very shortly after takeoff. Witnesses observed the aerial application acft at 30-50 ft AGL over the rwy before it pulled up steeply, rolled and entered a near vertical uncontrolled descent to impact. A post crash fire consumed most of the wreckage. Despite open level terrain off the end of the rwy, the plt attempted to return to the rwy for a forced ldg. A metallurgical examination of the failed cylinder head revealed extensive fatigue cracking initiated in the cylinder liner thread roots and between the cooling fins at the top of the cylinder.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6558K
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 368B
- Engine
- P&W R985-AN14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- S & W Flying Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 19, 1983 · 70 hours before
- Airport
- 16J · Dawson Municipal, runway 13, 300 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABY, 17 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.