Grumman Acft Eng Cor G-164A N9822
1 August 2012 · La Salle, Colorado, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 1 August 2012 at about 15:20 local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor G-164A registered N9822, operated by LOW Level Dusting Co Inc, was involved in an accident near La Salle, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- La Salle, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Low Level Strip (NONE)
- Coordinates
- 40.3386, -104.6678
- Aircraft
- Grumman Acft Eng Cor G-164A
- Registration
- N9822
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- LOW Level Dusting Co Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- La Salle → La Salle
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN12LA513
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The loss of engine power due to the detached distributor rotor.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated that shortly after takeoff for the aerial application flight, the airplane’s engine ”popped and banged.” The pilot decided to jettison the airplane’s load and return to land at the departure airport. However, while returning to the airport, the engine began to surge repeatedly between full power and a total loss of power, and the pilot decided to land in a nearby alfalfa field, where the airplane nosed over during the forced landing. Examination of the engine revealed that a screw that secured the distributor rotor to the brass gear had come out, which resulted in the detached rotor moving loosely inside the magneto. Internal damage to the rotor and magneto was consistent with the rotor rubbing inside of the magneto. This distributor rotor separation and subsequent movement most likely resulted in the rough running engine and the subsequent loss of engine power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Sep 2012 | Piper PA-46-350P | Kiowa, Colorado, United States | Don Woroner | No injuries | - |
| 21 Nov 2012 | Brian P North RAF SE5A REPLICA | Watkins, Colorado, United States | Brian P. North | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Apr 2012 | Beechcraft P35 | Englewood, Colorado, United States | Philippe F Camus | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2012 | Doppelt Fredric F F. 8L FALCO | Durango, Colorado, United States | Bruce Snyder | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 2012 | Tl Ultralight Sro STINGSPORT | Longmont, Colorado, United States | STING4FUN LLC | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 2012 | Schweizer 269C | Denver, Colorado, United States | TYJ Global | No injuries | - |