SEA04LA125

NTSB accident investigation · Schweizer G-164B · Wendell, ID · July 7, 2004

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
July 7, 2004, 11:10 local (17:10 UTC)
Place
Wendell, ID
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Maneuvering
Aircraft
N7502YSchweizer G-164B
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report October 28, 2004
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA-FSDO
FAA report
20040707014359A
Case key
59580

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

A cracked cylinder head which resulted in a loss of engine power while maneuvering. High vegetation was a factor.

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.

Loss of engine powerManeuvering - aerial application
Engine assembly,cylinder - crackedCause
Forced landingEmergency descent/landing
On ground/water encounter with terrain/waterLanding - roll
Terrain condition - high vegetationFactor
Nose overLanding - roll

Analysis

The pilot reported that he had completed fertilizing one field and was proceeding to a second field at about 300 feet above ground level when the engine started running rough. The pilot increased mixture to full rich and checked the magnetos, however, the engine lost all power. The pilot maneuvered the aircraft to a corn field. During the landing roll, the aircraft nosed over and came to rest inverted. During an inspection of the engine, one of the cylinders displayed a crack around the cylinder head.

Factual narrative

On July 7, 2004, at 1110 mountain daylight time, a Schweizer Aircraft Corp. G-164B, N7502Y, registered to and operated by Ken Spray LLC, as a 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight, experienced a loss of engine power and subsequently nosed over during the landing roll in a corn field located about five miles south of Wendell, Idaho. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from a private airstrip near Jerome, Idaho, about 40 minutes prior to the accident.

The pilot reported that he had completed fertilizing one field and was proceeding to a second field at about 300 feet above ground level when the engine started running rough. The pilot increased mixture to full rich and checked the magnetos, however, the engine lost all power. The pilot maneuvered the aircraft to a corn field. During the landing roll, the aircraft nosed over and came to rest inverted.

During an inspection of the engine by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector from the Boise, Idaho, Flight Standards District Office, the inspector reported that one of the cylinders displayed a crack around the cylinder head.

Aircraft

Registration
N7502Y
Reported as
Schweizer G-164B
Category
Airplane
Serial number
821B
Airframe hours
6,184
Engine
Pratt & Whitney, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Aerial application · Part 137
Registered owner
Ken Spray LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Restricted (Special)
Last inspection
100 hour · July 3, 2004 · 12 hours before
Departed
Jerome, ID
Destination
TWF · Twin Falls, ID

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
61
Injuries
None
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Last flight review
February 28, 2003
Seat
Center
Flight hours
15,965 total · 3,500 in this make and model · 15,965 as pilot in command · 219 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
290° at 16 knots, gusting 22
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
75 °F, dew point 46 °F
Altimeter
29.94 inHg
Observed at
TWF, 17 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.

Other investigations on N7502Y · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.