- Date
- April 4, 1990, 13:29 local (20:29 UTC)
- Place
- Esparto, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8011KGrumman G-164B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900404007539A
- Case key
- 26572
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 pilot misjudged the airplane's clearance with the transmission wires.
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 was conducting aerial spraying operations. Before departing on the accident flt, the plt apprised the flaggers of his flight path, which was to begin at the center of a tomato crop field and traverse in an east to west direction. During the first load, the plt flew beneath north/south transmission wires. During the second load, he began a swath run from a west to east direction. As the acft came to the transmission wires, the pilot began a climb, but the right wing contacted a wire. The fuel tank ruptured causing an inflt fire and the airplane plummeted to the gnd.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8011K
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 538 B
- Airframe hours
- 8,090
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Bob'S Flying Service, Inc.
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 29, 1990 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- MAST · Esparto, CA
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 25,410 total · 6,700 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 134° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SMF, 20 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.