- Date
- October 7, 2024, 09:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Parsonsburg, MD · Wooded area bordering a cultivated field
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8957HGrumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164A
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20241007015429A
- Case key
- 195269
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
A total loss of engine power for reasons that were not determined.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
While conducting agricultural aerial seed application, the airplane’s engine began to produce white smoke and lost power. The pilot chose a field to land in and the engine subsequently lost power completely. While attempting to clear a tree line, the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall. The airplane impacted the field at the edge of the trees and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and right horizontal stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s vintage radial engine revealed that there was oil inside the intake system and that the supercharger was seized and could not be rotated. The reason for the seizure of the supercharger was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8957H
- Reported as
- Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1592
- Airframe hours
- 9,125
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 22, 2024
- Departed
- pvt, MD
- Airport
- SBY · Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Rgnl
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 29
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 8, 2024
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,350 total · 2,200 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.84 inHg
- Observed at
- SBY, 3 nm away
- METAR
- KSBY 071654Z 30008KT 10SM SCT029 24/17 A2984 RMK AO2 SLP107 T02390167
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 21, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.