- Date
- May 26, 1992, 10:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Butte City, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6596KGrumman G-164C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 27626
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's failure to follow normal procedures by selecting the wrong runway. Contributing to this accident was the pilot's premature lift off and the existing tailwind.
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 was departing to the south from the privately owned airstrip on an aerial application flight. The pilot initiated a premature lift-off to avoid a parked loader truck at the end of the runway. After lift off the flying speed and aircraft control were minimal and the airplane drifted to the right of the centerline. The airplane's tailwheel struck a sign post slightly beyond the end of the runway, stalled and crashed. The pilot reported the surface winds were from the north at 3 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6596K
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 06
- Airframe hours
- 10,492
- Engine
- P&W PT6-34AG, 780 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Chuck Jones Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Chuck Jones Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 23, 1992 · 11 hours before
- Airport
- Jones Flying Service, runway 18, 1,800 × 70 ft, gravel
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 8,680 total · 300 in this make and model · 8,680 as pilot in command · 350 in the last 90 days · 200 in the last 30 days · 11 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 3 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
Other investigations on N6596K · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.