On August 7, 1996, a Grumman G164 (registration N8672H) was involved in an aviation accident near Dawson, GA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s), which resulted in an overrun, an encounter with soft terrain, and a nose over. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During takeoff roll, the airplane's engine lost power after the tail lifted off. The pilot could not stop before departing the runway and nosing over in a peanut field, where a fire erupted. Investigators found no cause for the power loss.
Incident Details
The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, the airplane's engine was developing full power. The tail lifted off, and the airplane was about to become airborne when the engine lost power. The pilot stated that the speed was too fast to stop before running off the end of the runway and into a peanut field. The airplane nosed over, and a fire erupted.
Pilot Statement
The pilot stated that the engine was running normally on the previous flight. He noted that during the takeoff roll, the engine was developing full power until it suddenly lost power just as the airplane was about to become airborne.
Investigation
During the investigation, no reason was found for the loss of engine power. However, most of the engine was destroyed by ground fire, which impeded a thorough examination of the powerplant.