CEN15LA204

NTSB accident investigation · Grumman G 164A · Maysville, OK · April 15, 2015

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
April 15, 2015, 11:35 local (16:35 UTC)
Place
Maysville, OK
Injuries
1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N7951Grumman G 164A
Defining event
Enroute: Unknown or undetermined
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report April 26, 2016
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
FAA
Case key
91051

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because a postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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 G-164A: 7 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 commercial pilot had completed his second agricultural application flight of the day in the airplane. As he was returning to the departure airport, the engine experienced a loss of power. The pilot conducted a forced landing to a field, and the airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted. An examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing only at glide power; the engine was likely operating at cruise power at the time of the power loss. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Factual narrative

On April 18, 2015, about 1135 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164A airplane, N7951, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Maysville, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by Pro-Ag Service Inc., under the provisions of 14 Code of 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 originated from the Pauls Valley Municipal Airport (PVJ), Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, about 1030.According to initial information obtained by the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot had completed his second aerial application of the day and was returning to PVJ when the engine stopped producing power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane nosed over resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the vertical stabilizer. An examination of the airframe and engine by the FAA inspector did not find any anomalies which would have precluded normal operation. A review of the carburetor icing probability chart located in Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 found the airplane was operating in an area conducive only to serious icing only at glide power.

Aircraft

Registration
N7951
Reported as
Grumman G 164A
Category
Airplane
Serial number
829
Built
1971
Engine
P&W R-985 SERIES, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Aerial application · Part 137
Operator
Pro-Ag Service Inc
Registered owner
Putman Jerry L
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Restricted (Special)
Departed
PVJ · Pauls Valley, OK
Destination
PVJ · Pauls Valley, OK

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
Injuries
Minor
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
Seat
Single
Flight hours
9,300 total · 700 in this make and model · 18 in the last 90 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
90° at 5 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
2,500 ft broken
Temperature
70 °F, dew point 59 °F
Altimeter
29.93 inHg
Observed at
KPVJ, 14 nm away

Docket · 3

The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 8, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 616 KB in all.

Other investigations on N7951 · 2

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