- Date
- June 27, 1997, 11:25 local (15:25 UTC)
- Place
- Bainbridge, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N903XGrumman G-164B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970627020089A
- Case key
- 38301
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 maintain proper airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, and improper flare during an emergency (precautionary) landing, which resulted in a hard touchdown and subsequent nose over. Factors related to the accident were: the pilot's improper use of powerplant controls, the resultant reduction of climb performance, and lack of experience in make/model of 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 pilot stated he was on initial takeoff climb, turning to the northwest with 1,245 pounds of water, en route to a practice agricultural spray area. He said he reduced the throttle and rpm to the climb power setting, while reducing the turn and passing through 300 feet. The airplane started to sink. Reportedly, he added power without changing the climb profile, and the airplane continued to sink. The pilot scanned the engine instruments which indicated normal. He then turned to line up with a peanut field to make a precautionary landing. He pulled the power to the idle position and started to obtain a three-point attitude. Reportedly, he rounded out (flared) high, and the airplane landed hard. The airplane then bounced about 40 feet across a dirt road, yawed to the left, and collided with the ground in a left wing low attitude. During the occurrence, the left main landing gear collapsed, and airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that he had 3.5 hours in the Grumman G-164B airplane.
Factual narrative
On June 27, 1997, about 1125 eastern daylight time, a Grumman G-164B, N903X, registered to Howell Crop Dusting, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, experienced a hard landing during a precautionary landing about 1 1/2 miles northwest of the Decatur County Industrial Airpark, Bainbridge, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from the Decatur County Industrial Airpark about 5 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated he was on initial takeoff climb, turning to the northwest with 1,245 pounds of water en route to a practice agricultural spray area. He reduced the throttle and rpm to the climb power setting while reducing the turn and passing through 300 feet. The airplane started to sink. He added power without changing the airplane climb profile. He scanned the engine instruments which were normal. The airplane continued to sink. He turned left to the east, lined up with a peanut field, jettisoned the water, and started a precautionary landing to the peanut field. The engine continued to run, but the airplane continued to descend. He pulled the power back to the idle position and started to obtain a three-point landing attitude. He rounded out too high, the airplane landed hard, bounced about 40 feet across a dirt road, yawed to the left, collided with the ground in a left wing low attitude, separating the left main landing gear, and nosed over inverted.
Review of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report revealed the pilot has 3.5 hours in the Grumman G-164B airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N903X
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 424
- Airframe hours
- 7,939
- Engine
- P&W R-985-AN143, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Howell Crop Dusting
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 16, 1997 · 59 hours before
- Departed
- BGE
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 202 total · 4 in this make and model · 142 as pilot in command · 137 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OZR, 50 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.