- Date
- September 22, 1998, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Goodway, AL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9774Grumman-Schweizer G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 26, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980922025739A
- Case key
- 44019
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's continued approach into known adverse weather which resulted in the pilot's loss of control, and subsequent inflight collision with terrain. A factor was the weather conditions.
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
According to the pilot, he had just completed spraying agricultural chemicals on a nearby farm field and was returning to the airport. The pilot stated that while on approach he encountered light rain. The pilot continued the approach and maintained a higher than normal approach speed expecting possible turbulence from a nearby rain cloud. He encountered 'blinding rain' and struck the ground coming to rest inverted on the runway. The pilot believed he encountered a micro burst.
Factual narrative
On September 22, 1998, about 1345 central daylight time, a Grumman-Schweizer G-164A, N9774, collided with the ground during landing at a private airstrip in Goodway, Alabama. The agricultural airplane was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 137, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The commercial pilot and sole occupant sustained minor injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight originated from Goodway, Alabama at 1300.
According to the FAA, the pilot had just completed spraying agricultural chemicals on a nearby farm field and was returning to the airport. The pilot stated that while on approach he encountered light rain. Expecting possible turbulence from a near by cloud, the pilot stated that he maintained a higher than normal approach speed. He said that at about 25 feet above ground level he encountered "blinding rain" and struck the ground. He believed he encountered a micro burst. The airplane came to rest inverted on the runway, substantially damaging the vertical stabilizer, rudder, wings and propeller. The weather observation facility located 25 miles to the northwest of the accident site could not confirm heavy rain or convective activity at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9774
- Reported as
- Grumman-Schweizer G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1256
- Airframe hours
- 9,085
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN-1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Roy F. Bedgood
- Registered owner
- Booker Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1998 · 131 hours before
- Departed
- PVT
- Airport
- PVT · Booker Flying Service Inc, runway 18, 2,400 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 14,800 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 14,800 as pilot in command · 138 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GZH, 25 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.
Other investigations on N9774 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.