- Date
- October 11, 2010, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Michigan, ND
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N554YGrumman G-164
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20101011052009A
- Case key
- 77811
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 failure to abort the takeoff roll following a noticeable loss of engine power due to low engine compression and a magneto failure.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that, during an attempted takeoff of an aerial application flight, the engine did not appear to be producing as much power as he anticipated. When the airplane became airborne, about 300 feet before the departure end of the runway, it experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot lowered the nose and the airplane impacted the runway's overrun area and nosed over; it came to rest inverted about 300 feet past the departure end of the runway. A postaccident examination by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors revealed that they were unable to obtain compression in two engine cylinders. They additionally found that a magneto was inoperative; no other anomalies were found.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that during the attempted takeoff of an aerial application flight, the engine power seemed low. He continued the takeoff and then realized that the airplane would not remain airborne so he pulled the dump handle releasing about 40 gallons of the 150 gallon load. When the airplane became airborne, about 300 feet before the departure end of the runway, it experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot lowered the nose and the airplane impacted the runway's overrun area and nosing over. It came to rest inverted about 300 feet past the departure end of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage, which included structural damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot was uninjured. Examination of the airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration revealed two cylinders that were unable to produce compression and an inoperative magneto. No other anomalies were found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N554Y
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 225
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R-985 Series, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Orwick Spraying Service
- Registered owner
- Pro Air Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- PVT · Michigan, ND
- Destination
- PVT · Michigan, ND
- Airport
- PVT · Private, runway 09
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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2008
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 10,950 as pilot in command · 450 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 24, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 565 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.