- Date
- July 1, 2005, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gillett, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6626KGrumman-Schweizer G-164C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 27, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20050701015349A
- Case key
- 61902
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 loss of engine power resulting from a disconnected discharge pressure line at the fuel control unit. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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
The 18,738-hour pilot reported that while applying an aerial application of fertilizer to a field, the engine lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a nearby field. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted trees and came to rest upright. A post-impact fire comsumed most of the airframe. Examination of the sooted engine revealed that the discharge pressure line (P3) at the fuel control unit was disconnected. The threads at the "B" nut were also covered with soot.
Factual narrative
On July 1, 2005, at 1630 central daylight time, a tail-wheel equipped Grumman-Schweizer G-164C single-engine turbine powered agricultural airplane, N6626K, was destroyed during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while performing an aerial application near Gillett, Arkansas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Trites Flying Service, Inc., of Gillett, Arkansas. Visual metrological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight originated from the operator's private airstrip near Gillett, Arkansas, at 1615.
The 18,738-hour pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that during an aerial application of fertilizer to a field, the engine "lost partial power." The pilot initiated a forced landing to a nearby field. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted trees and came to rest upright. Subsequently, a postcrash fire consumed most of the airplane.
Examination of the Allied Signal TPE331-6-252M engine was conducted on July 29, 2005, at the facilities of Air Salvage of Dallas, near Lancaster, Texas, by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC). The examination revealed that the engine was covered with soot, and the "B" nut (tubing nut that is used to hold flared tubing to a threaded fitting) from the discharge pressure line (P3) at the fuel control unit was disconnected. The threads of the "B" nut were also covered with soot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6626K
- Reported as
- Grumman-Schweizer G-164C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8C
- Engine
- Allied Signal TPE331-6-252M, 715 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Trites Flying Service Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2005 · 464 hours before
- Departed
- Gillett, AR
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
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 18,738 total · 8,594 in this make and model
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.