- Date
- June 20, 1995, 06:30 local (11:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bigelow, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7937Grumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950620049479A
- Case key
- 19463
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 clearance with terrain.
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 pilot of an aerial application airplane attempted to fly under high tension wires perpendicular to his flight path. The left main landing gear impacted a levee and the airplane nosed over into a rice field coming to rest in the inverted position.
Factual narrative
On June 20, 1995, at 0630 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164A was substantially damaged while maneuvering near Bigelow, Arkansas. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the aerial application flight.
According to the operator, the airplane's left main landing gear impacted a levee while attempting to fly under high tension wires perpendicular to his flight path. The airplane came to rest inverted in a rice field, approximately a quarter of a mile from the initial point of ground impact.
The left main landing gear, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder were found separated from the airframe.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7937
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 822
- Airframe hours
- 8,401
- Engine
- P&W R-985-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Donald E. Aukes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 15, 1980 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- Conway, AR
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 400 in this make and model · 11,000 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 13,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LIT, 25 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.