# NTSB CHI03LA144: Grumman G-164B, N48597, Superior, NE, May 31, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 31, 2003, 16:40 local (21:40 UTC) - Place: Superior, NE - Coordinates: 40.046112, -98.059997 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0461&lon=-98.0600&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report November 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA- Lincoln FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57118 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI03LA144 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57118/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA144 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, and the delayed remedial action by the pilot, resulting in a stall. Factors to the accident included the aircraft’s low altitude and the pilot's lack of experience in the make/model of aircraft. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - remedial action - delayed, pilot in command (contributing factor) - altitude - low (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis During a climbing departure after takeoff, the aerial application airplane encountered a stall and impacted the terrain. The pilot reported a vibration in the tail followed by an uncontrolled descent. The pilot stated he proceeded to jettison his load of water and lowered the nose to regain control of aircraft. The pilot reported his remedial action was unsuccessful and the aircraft "kept coming down." The pilot's total flight time in the accident make and model aircraft was less than one hour. The pilot indicated the winds were light and variable, however he believed he encountered "bad air" and "lateral wind shear." A local weather observation indicated the winds were light and variable around the time of the accident. ## Factual narrative On May 31, 2003, at 1640 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164B, N48597, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage during an uncontrolled descent into terrain while on a downwind departure from runway 14 (3,702 feet by 60 feet, asphalt) at the Superior Municipal Airport (12K), Superior, Nebraska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The aerial application flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137 without a flight plan. The pilot reported departing runway 14 using about 1,000 feet of runway. The pilot noted that the liftoff was smooth and he established a 100-foot per minute climb. The pilot stated, "After crossing the approach end of runway 14 [,] I felt the tail push down and buffet. I thought that I had hit some bad air or something." The pilot reported the aircraft buffeted again and began an uncontrolled descent. The pilot further reported he lowered the nose of the aircraft to "avoid a stall and the aircraft just kept coming down." The pilot stated he dumped his load of water and increased his engine power. He noted, "normally the aircraft will pitch up as the load comes off. However I could not feel the load coming off even though I could see the shadow of the water on the ground." The pilot reported the aircraft continued the uncontrolled descent and impacted the ground with the tail impacting first, followed by the main landing gear. The aircraft nosed over. The pilot's total flight time in the accident make and model aircraft was less than one hour. The winds and temperatures reported by the weather observation facility at Blosser Municipal Airport (CNK), 35 miles to the southeast of the accident site, were: Observation time: 1555 Wind Direction: 150 Wind Speed: 7 knots Temperature: 22°C Observation time: 1655 Wind Direction: Variable Wind Speed: Light Temperature: 23°C Observation time: 1755 Wind Direction: 140 Wind Speed: 9 knots Temperature: 23°C The winds and temperatures reported by the weather observation facility at Hastings Municipal Airport (HSI), 38 miles to the northwest of the accident site, were: Observation time: 1553 Wind Direction: 130 Wind Speed: 8 knots Temperature: 23°C Observation time: 1653 Wind Direction: 120 Wind Speed: 7 knots Temperature: 22°C Observation time: 1753 Wind Direction: 120 Wind Speed: 9 knots Temperature: 23°C The pilot reported the winds were light and variable. The pilot also noted that he "spotted a small [whirlwind] in the grass along the side of the road as I was driving to the airport. I thought to myself that it was going to be a bumpy ride." The pilot further noted, "it is my opinion that I must have encountered a lateral wind shear and was unable to maintain flight in those conditions." ## Aircraft - Registration: N48597 (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Grumman G-164B - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 80B - Engines: Pratt & Whitney R-985 AN14B 450 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Frost Flying Service INC - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, May 21, 2003 - Departed: 12K, Superior, NE - Airport: 12K, Superior Municipal Airport, runway 14, 3,700 × 60 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 61; injuries: minor; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review December 26, 2001; seat: center; flight hours: 11,428 total, 1 in this make and model, 11,428 as pilot in command, 101 in the last 90 days, 94 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 73 °F, dew point 50 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: CNK, 20 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030531010929A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030531010929A), May 31, 2003: Scwzer G164B, Superior, NE, Substantial damage. (-23) On may 31, 2003 at approximately 17:30 CDT a Grumman 164B, N48597 operated by blackstone aerial spraying LLC departed the Superior municipal airport for… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.