Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A N4598

Summary

On 10 August 2009 at about 15:35 local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A registered N4598, operated by Paulsen Ag Spraying, was involved in an accident near Harlan, Iowa, 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

10 August 2009 at 15:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Harlan, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Harlan Municipal Airport (HNR)

Coordinates

41.5850, -95.3439

Aircraft

Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A

Registration

N4598

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Paulsen Ag Spraying

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Harlan → Harlan

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09CA516

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to perform accurate weight and balance calculations which resulted in exceeding the maximum takeoff weight and the airplane's climb capability.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane would not climb out of ground effect during takeoff. The airplane settled into a corn field located off the end of the 3,100-foot-long asphalt runway. The left landing gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over resulting in substantial damage to the wings. The maximum certified gross weight of the airplane was 4,500 pounds with a basic empty weight of 3,093.8 pounds. The airplane was loaded with 80 gallons of fuel (480 pounds) and 170 gallons (1,419.5 pounds) of water/chemical mix. The pilot's weight was approximately 185 pounds. The airplane was approximately 678.3 pounds over the maximum gross weight at the time of the takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.