- Date
- September 14, 1990, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Altair, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6566Grumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900914039809A
- Case key
- 22976
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 pilot's use of improper terrain for takeoff.
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 the first departure of the day the airplane did not accelerate sufficiently to get airborne and clear eight foot tall weeds at the sough end of the private strip. The airplane got airborne at the end of the strip but the chemical spreader on the bottom of the airplane contacted the tall weeds. This resulted in a loss of airspeed, and a subsequent collision with an earthen irrigation dike. The airplane came to rest about 200 feet from initial impact and post impact fire consumed the wreckage. Investigation revealed that about 50 feet of the strip was covered by two foot tall weeds and that the rest of the takeoff surface was a hard surface dirt crust with a spongy under layer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6566
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 704
- Airframe hours
- 9,298
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Aero-Ag Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Aero Ag. Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 25, 1990 · 1,250 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Airport
- NONE, runway 18, 1,600 × 75 ft, dirt
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 6,500 total · 6,000 in this make and model · 6,500 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.