Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164 N6781K

Summary

On 2 July 2016 at about 14:30 local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164 registered N6781K, operated by Air Enterprises LLC, was involved in an accident near Laurel, Delaware, 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

2 July 2016 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Laurel, Delaware, United States

Coordinates

38.5703, -75.4644

Aircraft

Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164

Registration

N6781K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Air Enterprises LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Magnolia → Magnolia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA242

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power due to an encounter with a bird, which collided with the spray pump fan assembly and subsequently sent blade fragments into the engine compartment, damaging the throttle linkage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was completing the last pass of an aerial application flight between 20 and 60 ft above the ground when he heard a "loud bang" followed by a loss of engine power. He turned the airplane into the wind and set up for a forced landing in a corn field. The airplane landed on the corn and soft soil and nosed over, resulting in structural damage to the upper wing, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. Examination revealed that a bird struck the spray pump fan assembly, shattering the blades and sending blade fragments through the lower engine cowling. The blade fragments struck the engine throttle linkage, bending and rotating it to the idle/cutoff position, which resulted in the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.