- Date
- May 17, 1995, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- St Martinville, LA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8365KGrumman G-164B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950517011839A
- Case key
- 19423
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 control of the aircraft. A factor was the high winds.
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
While seeding rice, the aircraft was maneuvering for a second pass. The pilot reported that he was struck by a gust of wind in excess of 30 mph and the aircraft rolled into an inverted position striking trees and the ground.
Factual narrative
On May 17, 1995, at 0930 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164B, N8365K, was substantially damaged while maneuvering near Saint Martinville, Louisiana. The commercial pilot/owner/operator sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local 14 CFR 137 aerial application flight.
During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector and in a written statement, the pilot reported that he was maneuvering to make another pass over a rice field when he encountered strong winds, "over 40 miles per hour." The aircraft rolled inverted and impacted trees and the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8365K
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 664B
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-20, 570 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Freddie D. Denoit
- 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 8,500 total · 7,000 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 24 knots, gusting 33
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LFT, 30 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.
Other investigations on N8365K · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.