- Date
- July 17, 1985, 05:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Durham, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7853Grumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850717031839A
- Case key
- 24774
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
During an ag flight in which a compound containing sulfur dust was being sprayed a fire began in the acft's spray apparatus. The cockpit filled with heavy smoke & the plt made a successful forced ldg in the underlying field. The fire spread & eventually consumed the acft. Prior to the onset of the fire, the plt did not report experiencing any mechanical malfunction or failure with the acft. The cause of the fire was not ascertained.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7853
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 801
- Airframe hours
- 3,117
- Engine
- P&W R1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Pm Dusters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 8, 1985 · 175 hours before
- Departed
- Durham, CA
- Airport
- Mcroe
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,050 total · 2,500 in this make and model · 4,938 as pilot in command · 286 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
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 N7853 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.