Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B N48492

Summary

On 3 March 2023 at about 20:30 local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B registered N48492 was involved in an accident near Vernalis, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 March 2023 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Vernalis, California, United States

Coordinates

37.6312, -121.2348

Aircraft

Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B

Registration

N48492

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Vernalis → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA120

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line during a low-level aerial application flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported he was spraying near power lines during an aerial application flight. He made several passes beneath a power line; however, during a subsequent pass, the pilot became distracted and struck the power line. The airplane impacted the ground and was destroyed by post-crash fire. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.