- Date
- July 3, 1985, 15:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Tallulah, LA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8375Grumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850703031899A
- Case key
- 21786
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
During initial climb after takeoff, the ag plt realized that he could not clear wires at the end of the rwy. The plt dumped his load of fertilizer and attempted to maneuver around the wires, however during the maneuver, the acft stalled. Investigation revealed that ground personnel had substituted ammonium nitrate for urea in the fertilizer load, increasing the acft's gross weight by 800 lbs. The plt was not made aware of the substitution prior to takeoff. By volume, ammonium nitrate is heavier than urea.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8375
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 867
- Airframe hours
- 6,062
- Engine
- P&W R-985-AN1, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Farm Air Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 14, 1985 · 40 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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 95 in this make and model · 60 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 91 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.