Pilot Debrief

GRUMMAN G-164A near Egeland, ND — 2012-07-07

Final reportCEN12LA458
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Date
2012-07-07
Location
Egeland, ND, USA
Airport
9D7
Aircraft
GRUMMAN G-164A
Registration
N6583
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he made two aerial application passes over the wheat field. During the reversal turn on the second pass, the airplane cleared a set of power lines and began to settle. The pilot applied full throttle, but the engine did not respond. He flared the airplane and completed a forced landing to the wheat field. During the landing, the landing gear failed, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The examination of the two propeller blades revealed that they both exhibited leading edge gouges, chordwise scratches, and blade twisting, which is consistent with the engine operating at the time of ground impact. The atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of carburetor ice while operating at a sustained idle engine power setting. However, the engine power setting used during the aerial application flight would have been significantly higher than an idle engine setting; therefore, it is unlikely that carburetor ice accumulated during the accident flight.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked engine performance before the second application pass.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

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