- Date
- July 27, 1992, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Shelby, MT
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4859Grumman G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920727031099A
- Case key
- 42864
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 poor decision by the pilot to make an aerial application turn around manuever under power lines and his failure to maintain clearance from the power lines.
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 was making aerial application turn around maneuvers under a power line when the acft impacted the bottom strand, descended uncontrolled and impacted the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4859
- Reported as
- Grumman G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1104
- Airframe hours
- 3,394
- Engine
- P&W R-985 AN1, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Schwartz, James K, doing business as High Plains Aviation
- Registered owner
- Schwartz, James K.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 28, 1992 · 150 hours before
- Destination
- SBX
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 2,020 total · 900 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CTB, 20 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 N4859 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.