- Date
- October 29, 1992, 15:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Liverpool, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N637UGrumman G-164
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921029046349A
- Case key
- 18609
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The loss of engine power due to the failure of the engine blower. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain at the pilot's disposal.
Analysis
An agricultural airplane on a rye grass seeding flight experienced a loss of engine power as the pilot started to bank the airplane to reverse direction at the top of the turn. The pilot was able to roll the wings level and drop the nose to maintain flying speed until just above the trees, where he stalled the airplane and settled into the trees. The power loss was attributed to the failure of the engine blower bearings.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N637U
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 373
- Airframe hours
- 5,778
- Engine
- P&W R-985-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Byron J. Raney, doing business as Westside Farms, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Byron J. Raney
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 27, 1992 · 197 hours before
- Departed
- 6R5 · Alvin, TX
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 2,535 total · 500 in this make and model · 2,360 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOU, 22 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.