- Date
- July 26, 2000, 09:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tracy, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3629ESchweizer G-164B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000726008449A
- Case key
- 49830
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
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
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 airplane lost engine power during cruise flight and nosed over during a forced landing in a recently irrigated and soft tomato field. A ground crewman stated the airplane fuel tanks were more than halfway full when the airplane departed. Postaccident inspections revealed no power plant abnormalities. Using the aircraft systems, the engine ran without hesitation when started the day after the accident. No other airframe or fuel system related discrepancies that could explain a loss of power were found.
Factual narrative
On July 26, 2000, about 0930 hours Pacific daylight time, a Schweizer G-164B, N3629E, sustained substantial damage when it made a forced landing in a field and nosed over near Tracy, California. The forced landing was precipitated by a total loss of engine power. Haley Flying Service was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137. The commercial pilot was not injured. The aerial application flight departed a private strip near Tracy about 0900. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot told the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accident coordinator that he lost engine power during cruise flight and landed in a tomato field that had just been irrigated. His touchdown was good but, as the wheels mired in the mushy dirt, the tail started slowly going up and continued until the airplane nosed over. A ground crewman stated the airplane fuel tanks were more than halfway full when the airplane departed.
The FAA accident coordinator inspected the airplane. The fuel tanks were clean. The day after the accident, the engine ran without hesitation when it was started using the airframe systems. The carburetor was removed for inspection, and the teardown examination revealed no defects. No evidence of contamination was found in the carburetor bowl or the fuel lines. Both magnetos and the magneto switch functioned properly.
Fuel was obtained from the operator's 10,000-gallon fuel tank for analysis. The sample analysis revealed the presence of a high boiling point hydrocarbon similar to lubricating oil. According to the laboratory report, this compound can result in gum deposits. The operator's fuel supply tank was drained for cleaning and no contaminants or gum deposits were found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3629E
- Reported as
- Schweizer G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 744B
- Airframe hours
- 12,355
- Engine
- P&W R-1340 AN-1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Haley Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 24, 2000 · 50 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 14,870 total · 12,870 in this make and model · 14,870 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 162 °F, dew point 126 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SCK, 12 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 N3629E · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.