Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G 164A N8875H

Summary

On 13 May 2015 at about 16:30 local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G 164A registered N8875H, operated by Richter Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Maxwell, California, 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

13 May 2015 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Maxwell, California, United States

Coordinates

39.2261, -122.2206

Aircraft

Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G 164A

Registration

N8875H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Operator

Richter Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Maxwell → Maxwell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA160

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper preflight inspection and fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Just after takeoff on the agricultural application flight, the commercial pilot was positioning the airplane to spray a rice field. About 200 ft above ground level, the pilot heard a loud pop, and the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot turned the airplane to land on a dirt road, but it was too narrow; the right main landing gear contacted mud on the side of the road, and the airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted. Recovery personnel reported no residual fuel on the ground around the accident site, and about one half gallon of fuel was recovered from the airplane. The pilot stated that the airplane had not been refueled on the day of the accident and that he departed on the flight with less than a half tank of fuel. The postaccident engine examination revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The loss of engine power was likely due to fuel exhaustion, and given that the loss of power occurred just after takeoff, it is likely that the pilot did not verify the amount of fuel onboard before departing on the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.