- Date
- August 21, 2000, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Kaplan, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6506KGrumman-Schweizer G-164B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000821014079A
- Case key
- 50050
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 failure of the supercharger during takeoff. 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
According to the pilot, during the takeoff climb with full throttle, the agricultural airplane 'felt heavy and the airplane would not climb.' As the pilot turned the airplane to return to the airport, the airplane 'started to settle and he heard a squealing noise from the engine.' The pilot attempted to dump the load; however, the airplane touched down in a field, impacted a ditch, and nosed over coming to rest inverted. The operator determined that the engine supercharger had failed.
Factual narrative
On August 21, 2000, at 1400 central daylight time, a Grumman-Schweizer G-164B agricultural airplane, N6506K, was substantially damaged when it impacted a ditch during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Kaplan, Louisiana. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Vincent Flying Service of Kaplan, Louisiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The airplane was departing the Hanks Airport, Kaplan, Louisiana, for a local flight at the time of the accident.
According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the pilot reported that during the takeoff climb with full throttle, "the airplane felt heavy and the airplane would not climb." As the pilot turned the airplane to return to the airport, the airplane "started to settle and he heard a squealing noise from the engine." The pilot attempted to dump the load; however, the airplane touched down in a field, impacted a ditch, and nosed over coming to rest inverted.
The FAA inspector stated that the airplane sustained structural damage to the empennage. According to the FAA inspector, the operator determined that the engine supercharger had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6506K
- Reported as
- Grumman-Schweizer G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 344B
- Engine
- P&W 1340, 1,000 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Vincent Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- LA19
- Airport
- LA19 · Vincent Field
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.