- Date
- August 17, 1988, 20:00 local (Aug 18, 1988, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Schoolcraft, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N48417Grumman G-164B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880817033919A
- Case key
- 13872
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 failed to maintain directional control while maneuvering the aircraft to avoid an obstacle during the landing roll. The aircraft's right wing impacted a corn crop and the aircraft swerved/ground looped to the right and skidded to a stop, nose down. The precautionary landing was made due to a mechanical difficulty with the spraying equipment.
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
During aerial application operations, a hose between the chemical pump and spray boom disconnected allowing the chemical pesticide to dump overboard. The pilot elected to land and attempt repairs rather than fly (dumping pesticide) over populated areas on his way home. He landed on a dirt access road located in the field he was spraying. During the landing roll he swerved to avoid a mound of high grass and the right wing contacted the corn along the right side of the road. The aircraft swerved further right and skidded to a stop, nose down.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48417
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 26B
- Airframe hours
- 3,566
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Keystone Aerial Spraying Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1988 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Decatur, MI
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
- 46
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 9,045 total · 64 in this make and model · 8,890 as pilot in command · 284 in the last 90 days · 123 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
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 N48417 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.