- Date
- August 26, 1995, 18:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Trumann, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8783HGrumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950826049569A
- Case key
- 19563
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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain available to the pilot to execute the forced landing.
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 agricultural airplane noticed that the engine was smoking heavily and losing power while spraying pea fields during and aerial application flight. The engine power decreased to the point where the pilot was unable to maintain level flight. The pilot elected to execute a forced landing to a cultivated field. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a ditch at the end of the field he selected for the forced landing. The airplane nosed over and came to rest in the inverted position, resulting in structural damage to the airframe. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
Factual narrative
On August 26, 1995, at 1845 central daylight time, a Grumman G- 164A, N8783H, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Trumann, Arkansas. The commercial pilot was not injured. The aircraft was being operated on an aerial application flight by Simmons Flying Service Inc., under 14 CFR Part 137 when the accident occurred. The flight originated in Jonesboro, Arkansas, at approximately 1815 CDT. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight for which no flight plan was filed.
According to the operator, the pilot noticed that the engine was smoking heavily and losing power while spraying pea fields during an aerial application flight. The pilot stated that the degradation of engine power continued to the point where he was unable to maintain level flight, so he elected to execute a forced landing to a bean field. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a ditch at the end of the bean field causing the airplane to nose over and come to rest in the inverted position.
Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the airframe sustained structural damage. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8783H
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1527
- Engine
- Pezetel PZL-3S, 967 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- William H. Simmons
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 10, 1995 · 400 hours before
- Departed
- JBR · Jonesboro, 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
- 21
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 1,600 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JBR, 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.