- Date
- October 4, 1993, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Madisonville, KY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9909Grumman G-164-A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931004037589A
- Case key
- 38695
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 inadequate preflight preparation and his inadequate visual lookout in flight which resulted in the collision with wires.
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 agricultural application flight struck one of a group of three wires which crossed the flight path. The wire broke and attached to the landing gear. The airplane decelerated, struck trees, nosed over and impacted the ground where a post accident fire consumed the airplane. The pilot reported that before the flight, he surveyed the area for obstacles and noticed wires that he later paralleled during the flight. However, during the survey, he did not notice the wires that he later encountered inflight.
Factual narrative
On Tuesday, October 4, 1993, about 1330 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164, N9909, owned and piloted by Frank Eiter, was destroyed when it struck wires and impacted the ground while maneuvering near Madisonville, Kentucky. The pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A flight plan had not been filed for the flight operating under 14 CFR 137.
The purpose of the flight was aerial application of chemicals. In a telephone interview, the pilot stated that he landed at the Providence Airport and drove out to the application site to perform a ground reconnaissance. During the reconnaissance, he observed wires that ran down the field to be sprayed in the direction of the passes to be flown.
He further stated that during his last pass, the airplane struck wires perpendicular to his flight path, and one wire remained attached to the landing gear. The airplane decelerated, impacted a tree and fell to the ground. He also stated that the airplane flew fine that day, and there were no mechanical problems with the controls or the engine.
In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 the piloted stated:
"...Began spraying east of wires, working E-W [east to west]. On the first pass west of wires I struck a set (3) of branch wires that were back dropped by a small woods...The aircraft pitched nose up and yawed abruptly to the right. I lowered the nose and attempted to straighten out as I applied full power. I entered the trees at 30-40 [degrees] of right yaw...the aircraft pitched abruptly down and impacted the ground at a 45 [degree] angle. Fire broke out along the leading edge of the center section of the upper wing..."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9909
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164-A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1330
- Airframe hours
- 8,488
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Frank J. Eiter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 9, 1993 · 104 hours before
- Departed
- 8M9 · Providence, KY
- Destination
- 9I1 · Morganfield, KY
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 8,990 total · 7,890 in this make and model · 8,290 as pilot in command · 124 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OWB, 27 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.