- Date
- April 27, 1987, 08:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gridley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5644XAero Commander S2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870427011989A
- Case key
- 25342
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
On takeoff from a farmer's field the aircraft's engine lost power. The aircraft was unable to clear a levee, struck the levee and came to rest in a rice field. The aircraft's fuel pump was removed and tested. After one minute of operation the pump pressure decreased to below minimum operating limits. No other preimpact malfunctions/failures were found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5644X
- Reported as
- Aero Commander S2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1844R
- Airframe hours
- 4,000
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- George A. Nock, doing business as Aeronock, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Aeronock, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 31, 1987 · 32 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
- 65
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.