LAX93LA189

A Schweizer G164B collided with level terrain after an inflight loss of control while applying fertilizer. The pilot reported that he inadvertently stalled the airplane while executing an aerial application maneuvering turn. The pilot further indicated that the stall was not preceded by the customary buffet characteristic of the airplane. The airplane was equipped with a stall warning light in the cockpit, but the pilot indicated his attention was outside the cockpit clearing the airplane of the nearby wires that could obstruct his flight path.

On April 27, 1993, at 1315 hours Pacific daylight time, a Schweizer G-164B, N8307K, collided with level terrain while applying fertilizer to a cultivated field 2 miles northeast of the Sacramento Metropolitan Airport, Sacramento, California. The airplane, operated by Farm Air Flying Service, Inc., Sacramento, California, sustained substantial damage. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The flight originated at a local privately owned airstrip, near the accident site, at about 1300.

The FAA reported the airplane completed the second pass with a full load and was in a maneuvering turn when then landing gear struck the ground. The airplane bounced and struck the ground again before coming to rest.

The pilot reported in a telephone interview that he was flying in a northerly direction into the wind about 40 feet above ground level. The pilot estimated the wind velocity about 10 to 15 knots. The pilot entered a maneuvering turn to reverse his course. The airplane climbed to an altitude between 75 to 100 feet above the ground, where an inadvertent aerodynamic stall occurred.

The pilot reported that the stall was not preceded by the customary buffet characteristic of the airplane. The pilot also indicated the airplane was equipped with a stall warning light in the cockpit. The pilot indicated that his attention was outside the cockpit assuring that the airplane would clear the nearby wires within the planned flight path.