On June 26, 1986, a Grumman G-164B (registration N48532) was involved in an aviation accident near Wellman, IA. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a turnaround in an agricultural spraying operation, the aircraft descended below powerlines, struck them with the main landing gear, nosed over, and impacted the ground despite added power.
Incident Overview
The pilot reported that during the last third of a procedure turnaround while conducting agricultural spraying, the aircraft descended to just below powerlines located at the edge of the field. The main landing gear struck the powerlines, causing the aircraft to nose over. Full power was applied just before the aircraft hit the powerlines, but the pilot stated that he was unable to recover to level flight before impacting the ground.
Pilot's Account
According to the pilot, the turn was made downwind and was shorter than he preferred in order to avoid overflying houses near the field. The aircraft struck the powerlines with the main landing gear, which initiated the nose-over. Despite the application of full power, the aircraft could not regain level flight and subsequently impacted the ground.