- Date
- July 12, 1993, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Kaplan, LA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9680Grumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930712023149A
- Case key
- 11092
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
Failure of the spray rig which sprayed chemicals into the pilot's eyes temporarily blinding him.
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
While spraying a flooded field, the spray rig failed and sprayed chemicals into the pilot's face, temporarily blinding him. The aircraft descended and hit a fence, flipped several times, and came to rest inverted.
Factual narrative
On July 12, 1993, at approximately 0930 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164A, N9680, struck a fence while conducting aerial application near Kaplan, Louisiana. The commercial pilot received minor injuries and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The flight, which departed Kaplan at 0930, was operating under 14 CFR Part 137 when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
According to the pilot, he was spraying flooded rice fields when the spray rig failed and sprayed pesticide in his face. Unable to see, the aircraft descended, hit a fence, flipped several times, and came to rest upside down.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9680
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1199
- Airframe hours
- 1,388
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Hanks Flying Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 31, 1993 · 184 hours before
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LFT, 25 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.