On October 29, 1992, a Grumman G-164 (registration N637U) operated by Byron J. Raney was involved in an aviation accident near Liverpool, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Failure of the engine blower bearings. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An agricultural airplane on a rye grass seeding flight lost engine power while banking at the top of a turn. The pilot maintained flying speed until just above treetops, then stalled and settled into trees.
Incident Overview
During a rye grass seeding operation, an agricultural airplane experienced a sudden loss of engine power as the pilot initiated a bank to reverse direction at the apex of a turn. The pilot responded by rolling the wings level and lowering the nose to preserve airspeed. This allowed the aircraft to continue flying until it was just above the tree canopy, at which point the pilot executed a stall and the airplane settled into the trees.
Engine Failure Cause
The subsequent investigation attributed the power loss to a failure of the engine blower bearings. No other contributing factors were identified in the report.