- Date
- July 23, 2017, 09:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Berlin, MD
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N48519Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G 164B
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway incursion veh/AC/person
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170723012599A
- Case key
- 95676
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 ground crewman’s failure to visually check the runway before crossing it in a vehicle, which resulted in he and the vehicle being struck by the landing airplane.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he noticed that a spray nozzle was leaking on the agricultural spray airplane. Subsequently, he performed multiple test flights over a nearby field while the head of the ground crew remained on the ground to monitor the leak. He added that he landed the airplane on the grass airstrip, adjusted the nozzle, departed for another visual check, and repeated as necessary. Following the tests and adjustments, the ground crewman told the pilot that the nozzle was not leaking, and the pilot returned to land. The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, he did not see the ground crewman visually check the runway before crossing the runway in front of the airplane in an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). He added that he immediately veered the airplane to the right and sped up to avoid striking the ground crewman with the propeller. However, the left wing struck the ATV and the ground crewman. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing leading edge, and the ground crewman sustained minor injuries. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he noticed that a spray nozzle was leaking on the agricultural spray airplane. Subsequently, he performed multiple test flights over a nearby field while the head of the ground crew remained on the ground to monitor the leak. He added that he would land the airplane on the grass airstrip, adjust the nozzle, depart for another visual check, and repeat as necessary. Following the tests and adjustments, the ground personnel told the pilot that the nozzle was not leaking and the pilot returned to land. The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, he did not see the ground personnel visually check the runway before crossing the runway on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) in front of the airplane. He added that he immediately veered the airplane to the right and sped up to avoid striking the ground personnel with the propeller. The left wing struck the ATV and the ground personnel. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing leading edge and the ground personnel received minor injuries. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48519
- Reported as
- Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G 164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 42B
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 8,400
- Engine
- Pratt & whitney 985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Buntings Dusting Inc
- Registered owner
- Buntings Dusting Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 29, 2017
- Departed
- 4MD1 · Berlin, MD
- Destination
- 4MD1 · Berlin, MD
- Airport
- 4MD1 · Bunting'S Field
- Equipment
- None
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
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 6, 2017
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,284.6 total · 84.1 in this make and model · 1,079 as pilot in command · 252.6 in the last 90 days · 152.6 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- KOXB, 6 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 2, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.