Grumman G-164A N7859

Summary

On 9 May 1997 at about 22:52 local time, a Grumman G-164A registered N7859, operated by Jerry D. Bantam, was involved in an accident near Prairie View, Kansas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 May 1997 at 22:52

Classification

Accident

Location

Prairie View, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

39.8309, -99.5696

Aircraft

Grumman G-164A

Registration

N7859

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Jerry D. Bantam

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI97LA126

Nobody was injured.

an undetermined event, which resulted in loss of engine power. Factors relating to the accident were: an automobile, which prevented the pilot from landing on a road; and a dirt bank (terrace) in the emergency landing area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had taken off to the north on an aerial application flight with 100 gallons of chemical. The airplane was about 30 feet above the ground when a loss of engine power occurred. The pilot reported 'The engine may have backfired three to four times.' The airplane began to lose altitude. The pilot said he set the mixture to rich, dropped part of the load (chemical) and used the throttle which seemed to help. He decided to land the airplane on a road just north of the airport. As he lined up with the road, he saw a car coming. He then decided to land in an adjacent plowed field. The airplane touched down on three points, 'hit a terrace' which 'tore the engine off,' nosed over, tore the stabilizers off, uprighted, and came to a stop. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomaly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.