- Date
- June 2, 1993, 06:40 local (11:40 UTC)
- Place
- Walnut Ridge, AR
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N48659Grumman G-164B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930602019039A
- Case key
- 18761
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 failure to maintain adequate clearance.
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 agricultural airplane impacted powerlines after reversing direction to complete the last swath run. The pilot reported that he had been spraying the same field for the last twenty years and was well aware of the location of the powerlines.
Factual narrative
On June 2, 1993, at approximately 0640 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164B airplane, N48659, was destroyed upon impact with wires and terrain while maneuvering near Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the aerial application flight.
According to a relative of the operator, the airplane departed the Hicks Airstrip, near Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, with a load of pesticides earlier that morning. It was reported to him, that after reversing direction upon completion of the last pass, the airplane struck powerlines running across the perimeter of the field being sprayed. The pilot reported that he had been spraying this fiels for the last twienty years and was aware of the location of the powerlines.
The pilot suffered serious back injuries and did not complete NTSB Form 6120.1/2. No maintenance anomalies were reported by the pilot prior to the accident.
The wreckage was verbally released to the owner's representative by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector at the accident site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48659
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1048
- Airframe hours
- 5,100
- Engine
- Garrett TPE331, 600 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Hicks Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 7,800 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ARG, 12 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.