Sunday, April 22, 2018

Grumman-Schweizer G-164B, N6654K, owned and operated by Southern Air Services LLC: Accident occurred March 14, 2016 in Myakka, Manatee County, Florida


The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Tampa, Florida

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board:  https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


http://registry.faa.gov/N6654K



Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board

Location: Myakka, FL

Accident Number: ERA16LA130
Date & Time: 03/14/2016, 1000 EDT
Registration: N6654K
Aircraft: GRUMMAN ACFT ENG COR-SCHWEIZER G-164
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (total)
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under:  Part 91: General Aviation - Flight Test 

On March 14, 2016, about 1000 eastern daylight time, a Grumman G-164B, N6654K, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to an agricultural field near Myakka, Florida. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the maintenance test flight, which departed a private grass strip in the vicinity of the agricultural field around 1000. The airplane was owned and operated by Southern Air Services, LLC and the flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to perform a "short" post-maintenance flight to verify that the spray system was operating without anomaly. He performed a preflight inspection of the airplane, noted that it "had fuel," and was "good to go." He started the airplane and noted that during the takeoff that all the "gauges were in the green." Then, during the initial climb, the pilot adjusted the throttle and propeller controls, and the engine began to run "rough." Soon after, the engine lost total power and the pilot elected to land the airplane straight ahead in the field. The airplane touched down in the field, nosed over, and came to rest inverted.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the wings, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder were substantially damaged. The leading edge of the wings exhibited crush damage and the rudder was bent to the left. A fuel sample was taken from the airplane and no debris or water was noted.

According to FAA records, the single-place biplane was manufactured in 1978 and registered to the operator in 2011. In addition, it was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R1340-AN1, 550-horsepower, engine that powered a two-blade Hamilton Standard constant speed propeller. According to airplane maintenance logbooks, the most recent annual inspection was performed on February 1, 2016, at an airframe total time of 9132.5 hours. At the time of the accident, the airframe had accumulated 9,191 total hours of operation and the engine had accumulated 810 hours of operation since major overhaul.

Following the accident, the airplane was recovered from the field and the engine was removed from the airframe during the recovery. The engine control cables were cut during recovery, otherwise, the cables remained attached to their respective controls. Engine crankshaft continuity was confirmed when the propeller was rotated by hand. All cylinders remained attached to the engine and thumb compression was observed on all cylinders. The propeller remained attached to the engine and the blades were curled aft and rotational scoring was noted on both blades. Both magnetos were examined and spark was observed on all towers. The supercharger remained intact and sand was located inside the housing. The carburetor was impact-separated, damaged, and therefore the internal components integrity could not be examined. There were no other obvious mechanical anomalies observed with the engine.

The reported weather at Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), Sarasota, Florida, which was located 21 miles west of the accident location indicated wind from 210 degrees at 10 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 2,900 feet above ground level (agl), scattered clouds 6,000 feet agl, broken clouds at 9,500 feet agl, temperature 24 degrees C, dewpoint 19 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.04 inches of mercury.

The carburetor icing probability chart from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB): CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention, June 30, 2009, shows a probability of serious icing at glide power at the temperature and dew point reported at the time of the accident. 



Pilot Information

Certificate: Flight Instructor; Commercial
Age: 30, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land; Single-engine Sea
Seat Occupied: Single
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Unknown
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Single-engine
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 1
Last FAA Medical Exam: 05/01/2014
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time:

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Manufacturer: GRUMMAN ACFT ENG COR-SCHWEIZER
Registration: N6654K
Model/Series: G-164 B
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1978
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Restricted
Serial Number: 409B
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 1
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 02/01/2016, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3750 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 59 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time:  9132.5 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Pratt & Whitney
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: R-1340-AN1
Registered Owner: SOUTHERN AIR SERVICES LLC
Rated Power: 550 hp
Operator: SOUTHERN AIR SERVICES LLC
Operating Certificate(s) Held:  Agricultural Aircraft (137)

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: SRQ, 28 ft msl
Observation Time: 0953 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 21 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 279°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 2900 ft agl
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 19°C
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 9500 ft agl
Visibility:  10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 10 knots, 210°
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 30.04 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration:  No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Myakka, FL
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Myakka, FL
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1000 EDT
Type of Airspace: 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude:  27.348611, -82.178056 (est)



NTSB Identification: ERA16LA130
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, March 14, 2016 in Myakka, FL
Aircraft: GRUMMAN ACFT ENG COR-SCHWEIZER G-164, registration: N6654K
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On March 14, 2016, about 1000 eastern daylight time, a Grumman G-164B, N6654K, experienced a total loss of engine power and performed a forced landing to an agricultural field near Myakka, Florida. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the aerial application flight, which departed a private grass strip in the vicinity of the agricultural field around 1000. The airplane was owned and operated by Southern Air Services, LLC and the maintenance test flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to perform a "short" post maintenance flight to verify that the spray system was operating without anomaly. He performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and noted that it was "good to go." He started the airplane, and noted that during the takeoff that all the "gauges were in the green." Then, during the initial climb, the pilot adjusted the throttle and propeller controls, and the engine began to run "rough." Soon after, the engine lost total power and the pilot elected to land the airplane straight ahead in the field. The airplane touched down in the field, nosed over, and came to rest inverted.

A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the engine remained attached to the airframe. In addition, engine continuity was confirmed and all cylinders remained attached to the engine. The supercharger exhibited rotational scoring and sand was located inside the housing. In addition, the carburetor was impact separated and damaged.

The wings, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder were substantially damaged. The leading edge of the wings exhibited crush damage and the rudder was bent to the left. A fuel sample was taken from the airplane and no debris or water was noted.

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