- Date
- February 29, 1992, 09:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Vernalis, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5408Grumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920229004689A
- Case key
- 27568
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 operator's failure to properly comply with an airworthiness directive affecting the second-stage turbine wheel assembly. Contributing to this accident was the uncontained failure of the second-stage turbine wheel and the rough/uneven terrain.
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 experienced an uncontained separation of the second-stage stator turbine wheel while executing an aerial application procedure turn. The airplane's altitude was insufficient for the pilot to align it with the cultivated furrows. The landing was normal but the airplane nosed over onto its back during the landing roll when the wheels dug into the furrows. Examination of the engine's logbook disclosed that the operator had not properly complied with airworthiness directive (AD) 86-08-06. This AD requires radiographic inspection of the second-stage stator turbine wheel assembly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5408
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 981
- Airframe hours
- 4,058
- Engine
- Garrett TPE 331-43BL, 575 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Trinkle & Boys Agricultural
- Registered owner
- Trinkle & Boys Agricultural
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 4, 1991 · 362 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 7,729 total · 1,773 in this make and model · 7,412 as pilot in command · 128 in the last 90 days · 88 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
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 N5408 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.