- Date
- May 20, 1988, 10:35 local (17:35 UTC)
- Place
- Ritzville, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6963KGrumman G-164
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880520042119A
- Case key
- 40820
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
In flight encounter with weather
Weather condition - unfavorable windFactor
Compensation for wind conditions - inadequateCause
Loss of control - in flight
Stall/mush - not correctedCause
In flight collision with object
Object - poleFactor
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
While on an aerial applications flight, the pilot was climbing to clear power lines when a whirlwind was encountered. The aircraft struck a power pole and descended onto the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6963K
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- S28B
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Moore Aircraft Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- 33S · Ritzville, WA
N6963KRegistration cancelled Feb 1, 1995 · Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164BAirframe modelGrumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164B
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 2,400 in this make and model · 5,900 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 150 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.