- Date
- February 5, 2011, 09:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Buttonwillow, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6725KSchweizer G-164B
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110205002429A
- Case key
- 78303
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 clearance from an irrigation vent pipe.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was making a low aerial application pass over a field, dispensing smoke to determine wind direction and velocity. The airplane struck a 20-foot-high irrigation vent pipe, which was located in the field that he was working. He proceeded straight ahead and attempted a forced landing on a dirt road immediately next to the field because the engine was losing power. Upon touching down, the right main wheel encountered soft dirt and the airplane nosed over inverted, bending the engine mount and wrinkling the fuselage and vertical stabilizer.
Factual narrative
The aerial application pilot stated that he was making a low pass over a field, dispensing smoke, to determine wind direction and velocity. The airplane struck a 20-foot-high irrigation vent pipe, which was located in the field that he was working. He proceeded straight ahead and attempted a forced landing on a dirt road immediately next to the field because the engine was losing power. Upon touching down, the right main wheel got into some soft dirt and the airplane nosed over inverted. The engine mount was bent, and the fuselage and vertical stabilizer were wrinkled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6725K
- Reported as
- Schweizer G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 438B
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Slikker Flying Service Inc.
- Registered owner
- Slikker Flying Service Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- Priv · Buttonwillow, CA
- Destination
- Priv · Buttonwillow, CA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 16, 2010
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 17,870 total · 8,371 in this make and model · 17,620 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- BFL
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 24, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 431 KB in all.
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 N6725K · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.