CEN14LA301

NTSB accident investigation · Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164B · Lake City, AR · June 18, 2014

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 18, 2014, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
Place
Lake City, AR
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Aircraft
N993QCGrumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164B
Defining event
Takeoff: Loss of engine power (partial)
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report August 11, 2015
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
FAA
FAA report
20140618009879A
Case key
89473

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 partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

Findings · 1

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.

Not determinedNot determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determinedGrumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164B: 11 casesAll aircraft: 2,247 casesProbable cause

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 operator reported that, on initial takeoff for an aerial application flight, the engine would only produce 90-percent power. The airplane could not maintain a climb, so the pilot performed a forced landing to a road. During the landing roll, the airplane slid to the side of the road and impacted a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The engine was removed from the airplane and sent to an unknown vendor for repair. The operator subsequently went out of business, and the disposition and location of the engine could not be determined. The reason for the loss of partial engine power could not be determined.

Factual narrative

On June 18, 2014, about 1330 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164B airplane, collided with terrain during a forced landing following a partial loss of engine power during takeoff. The commercial pilot was not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by McCormack's Crop Care by Air Inc. under the provisions of 14 Code of the Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which operated without a flight plan. The local flight was departing a private airstrip at the time of the accident.According to a statement provided by the operator, the airplane was departing the private strip when the engine would not produce more than 90% power. The pilot was unable to get the airplane to continue a climb so he performed a forced landing to a road. During the landing roll, the airplane slid to the side of the road and impacted a ditch resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The airplane was recovered and sent for repairs with the agreement that the investigator in charge would be made aware of the maintenance results. The engine was removed from the airplane and sent to an unknown vendor for repair. The operator of the airplane has gone out of business and the disposition and location of the engine could not be determined. Honeywell could not find any recent maintenance activity reported on the accident engine. The reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined.

Aircraft

Registration
N993QC
Reported as
Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164B
Category
Airplane
Serial number
453B
Built
1978
Airframe hours
6,712
Engine
Garrett TPE331-1-151, turbo prop
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Aerial application · Part 137
Operator
Mccormack, Tim Dub, doing business as Mccormacks Crop Care By Air
Registered owner
Mccormack'S Crop Care By Air Inc
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Restricted (Special)
Last inspection
Annual · March 1, 2014
Departed
N/A · Lake City, AR
Destination
N/A · Lake City, AR
Airport
N/A · Private Strip, runway 18, 1,550 × 20 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
48
Injuries
Serious
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
May 12, 2013
Seat
Single
Restraint
4-point
Flight hours
2,166.6 total · 588.2 in this make and model · 2,058.3 as pilot in command · 187.1 in the last 90 days · 90.5 in the last 30 days · 10.1 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
200° at 16 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
90 °F, dew point 68 °F
Altimeter
30.04 inHg
Observed at
KJBR, 9 nm away

Docket · 2

The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 24, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB 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.

Other investigations on N993QC · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.