- Date
- October 5, 1995, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hamburg, AR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9873Grumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951005049719A
- Case key
- 19681
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
Loss of engine power due to a cylinder failure. A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for 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 reported that during the initial takeoff climb at about 175 feet AGL, the engine surged and lost power. He attempted to land the airplane in a bean field. However, shortly after touchdown, the airplane exited the field, hit a ditch, and was damaged. The pilot reported that an engine cylinder had failed.
Factual narrative
On October 5, 1995, at 0930 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164A, N9873, collided with terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Hamburg, Arkansas. The commercial pilot received minor injuries and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to, and operated by a private owner under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial application flight and a flight plan was not filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
During a personal interview, conducted by a FAA inspector, the pilot reported the following information. He had recently purchased the airplane and filed the registration documents with the FAA Aeronautical Center at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The airplane was registered with the State of Oklahoma; however, he had not applied to the FAA for the Title 14 CFR Part 137 operating certificate.
The pilot further stated to the FAA inspector that after refueling, the airplane departed Crossett, Arkansas, and flew to a private airstrip at the Bill Harvison Farm. Aerial application flights were conducted from the private airstrip with the hopper loaded with 150 gallons of sodium chlorate for spraying beans.
According to the pilot, during the initial takeoff climb, at 175 feet above the ground, the engine "started surging and losing power." During the landing flare and touchdown in a bean field, the airplane exited the field and hit a ditch paralleling a gravel road. Subsequently, the airplane crossed the road and came to rest in the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Structural damage occurred to the airframe and engine.
The enclosed Pilot/Operator report listed an engine cylinder as the failed component.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9873
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1313
- Airframe hours
- 2,877
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Henry Shane Austin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 9, 1995 · 245 hours before
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
- 28
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,826 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 300 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
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 N9873 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.