- Date
- February 3, 1991, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Merced, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N969XGrumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910203001609A
- Case key
- 27105
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 disoriented and intoxicated automobile driver entering the runway in front of the departing aircraft.
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 struck an automobile on departure from a private duster strip. A farm worker and his son, who were subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, drove onto the strip as the aircraft was departing with a load of chemicals. The aircraft was committed to flight. The aircraft rotated prematurely and struck the top of the automobile. The aircraft lost the right spray boom, elevator and horizontal stabilizer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N969X
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 483
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-ANI, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Dennis Noble
- Registered owner
- Dennis Noble
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Airport
- NONE · Noble Dusters, runway 26, 2,700 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 4,500 in this make and model · 5,480 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.