Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A N5450

Summary

On 6 August 2023 at about 16:27 local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A registered N5450, operated by Growers Air Service, was involved in an accident near Davis, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 August 2023 at 16:27

Classification

Accident

Location

Davis, California, United States

Coordinates

38.5170, -121.6706

Aircraft

Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A

Registration

N5450

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Growers Air Service

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Woodland → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA305

1 person died.

An inflight loss of control during a low altitude operation for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying an aerial application flight over a tomato field from west to east when the airplane impacted a field and was consumed by a postimpact fire. There were no witnesses to the accident. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial impact and thermal damage to the airframe and its corresponding systems. Impact signatures on the propeller revealed leading edge gouges, chordwise scratches on the face side of one propeller blade, and aft bending on both propeller blades in the opposite direction of rotation, which is consistent with some rotation at the time of impact. The propeller exhibited some indication of power at the time of impact; however, the impact and thermal damage prevented a determination to what extent the engine was operating at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.