# NTSB CHI97LA126: Grumman G-164A, N7859, Prairie View, KS, May 9, 1997 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 9, 1997, 17:52 local (22:52 UTC) - Place: Prairie View, KS - Coordinates: 39.830863, -99.56961 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8309&lon=-99.5696&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report January 30, 1998 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 10561 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI97LA126 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/10561/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97LA126 ## Probable cause an undetermined event, which resulted in loss of engine power. Factors relating to the accident were: an automobile, which prevented the pilot from landing on a road; and a dirt bank (terrace) in the emergency landing area. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, takeoff - initial climb - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency landing - object - vehicle - terrain condition - dirt bank/rising embankment (contributing factor) - Nose over, emergency landing ## Analysis The pilot had taken off to the north on an aerial application flight with 100 gallons of chemical. The airplane was about 30 feet above the ground when a loss of engine power occurred. The pilot reported 'The engine may have backfired three to four times.' The airplane began to lose altitude. The pilot said he set the mixture to rich, dropped part of the load (chemical) and used the throttle which seemed to help. He decided to land the airplane on a road just north of the airport. As he lined up with the road, he saw a car coming. He then decided to land in an adjacent plowed field. The airplane touched down on three points, 'hit a terrace' which 'tore the engine off,' nosed over, tore the stabilizers off, uprighted, and came to a stop. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomaly. ## Factual narrative On May 9, 1997, at 1752 central daylight time (cdt), a Grumman G164-A, N7859, operated by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when during initial climb the airplane's engine lost power. The airplane subsequently impacted in a field and nosed over. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerial application flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 137. A flight plan was not on file. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight originated at Prairie View, Kansas, at 1750 cdt. The pilot stated in a telephone conversation that he had taken off to the north with 100 gallons of chemical. He was about 30 feet above the ground when the airplane experienced power loss. The pilot said that the engine began to backfire. "The engine may have backfired three to four times." His airplane began to lose altitude. The pilot said he set the mixture to rich, dropped part of the load (chemical) and used the throttle which seemed to help. He decided to land the airplane on a road just north of the airport. As he lined up with the road, he saw a car coming. He then decided to land on the adjacent plowed field. He touched down on three points, "hit a terrace" which "tore the engine off," nosed over, tore the stabilizers off, uprighted and came to a stop. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the wreckage at the site found the airplane resting upright in a plowed field approximately 1 and 1/2 miles north of Van Pak Airport, Prairie View, Kansas, approximately 30 feet west of a north-south running road. The engine had broken free of the engine mounts and was resting beside the airplane on the propeller. The propeller showed chordwise scratches, torsional bending and tip bending on one blade. The fuselage, forward of the cabin was crushed upward and bent aft. The right main landing gear was broken off. The upper wing carry-through spar was bent upward and aft. The center part of the upper wing was crushed up and aft. The outboard 1/3rd of the lower left wing was bent upward and twisted forward. The lower right wing was bent upward approximately 40-degrees at the wing root. The airplane's cabin and aft fuselage were intact. The empennage, to include the horizontal stabilizers, elevator, vertical stabilizer and rudder were bent forward and twisted right. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the engine, engine controls and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. As of October 17, 1997, the pilot has failed to return the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 sent to him. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N7859](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7859-2012-07-19), registration cancelled 2012-07-19, S/N 806, built 1971 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Grumman G-164A - Registry model: [Grumman G-164A](https://openairdocs.org/model/grumman-g-164a) (registry code 3952704) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney R1340 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (registry code 52016, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 806 - Airframe hours: 4000 - Engines: P&W R-1340-AN1 600 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Jerry D. Bantam, doing business as Northwest Kansas Ag Air - Registered owner: Mark D. Bantam - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, April 1, 1997, 30 hours before - Departed: KS05 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 62; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: center; flight hours: 10,000 total, 70 in this make and model, 9,026 as pilot in command, 55 in the last 90 days, 30 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: HLC, 30 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 19970509009859A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970509009859A), May 9, 1997: Scwzer G164A, Prarie View, KS, Substantial damage. Lost power on climbout. Force landed plowed field. Hit terrace flipped. Engine seperated. No anomalies found. 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.