- Date
- June 23, 1989, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bunkie, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N602YSchweizer G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890623017449A
- Case key
- 22730
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 the number five cylinder in flight, resulting in a loss of engine RPM. The pilot misjudged the landing flare height due to obscured vision from fire and smoke and the airplane stalled and impacted the ground nose first.
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 ag airplane was applying fertilizer on a field when the engine lost power. During the forced landing, the airplane stalled and nosed over after landing in a soy bean field. Post accident inspection revealed the number five cylinder was missing from the engine case. From the time the engine lost power, until the airplane touched down, there was fire and smoke coming from the engine compartment which obscurred the pilot's vision.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N602Y
- Reported as
- Schweizer G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 227
- Airframe hours
- 5,258
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Theodore Norris
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 15, 1989 · 283 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,531 total · 1,850 in this make and model · 4,490 as pilot in command · 220 in the last 90 days · 115 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N602Y · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.