Pilot Debrief

Grumman-Schweizer G-164B near Wilder, ID — 2008-06-13

Final reportLAX08LA177
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Date
2008-06-13
Location
Wilder, ID, USA
Aircraft
Grumman-Schweizer G-164B
Registration
N48571
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The loss of engine power as a result of failure of the supercharger. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was applying fertilizer to a field of hops. After several passes over the field, a total engine failure occurred. The pilot was forced to land the airplane in a small onion field. The pilot said that after touchdown, he "forced the aircraft into the ground to avoid collision with a raised canal." The airplane made "one complete forward flip," which destroyed the tail section, and came to rest nose down. Following its recovery to the operator's facility, the airplane was examined by the pilot and a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. They noted metal chips and oil in the engine exhaust pipes and found all the spark plugs to be contaminated with oil. According to the pilot, these signatures were indicative of a supercharger failure.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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