No fatalities

13 Jun 2010: GRUMMAN ACFT ENG COR-SCHWEIZER G-164B — HARDING FLYING SERVICE — Courtland, CA

Courtland, CA, United States

On 13 Jun 2010, a GRUMMAN ACFT ENG COR-SCHWEIZER G-164B operated by HARDING FLYING SERVICE was involved in an aviation accident near Courtland, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain during low-altitude maneuvers. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During an aerial application flight, the pilot experienced a sudden impact and grinding sensation, resulting in substantial damage and the aircraft coming to rest inverted in level terrain.

Incident Details

A pilot reported that during an aerial application flight, while established and stable on an east-to-west spray pass, he was checking the pump pressure gauge for an indication of an empty load. At that moment, he felt and heard a “significant slam” and noted a grinding sensation. Subsequently, the airplane impacted level terrain and came to rest upside down.

Damage Assessment

The aircraft sustained substantial damage to both wings and the tail assembly. The pilot stated that there were no known mechanical malfunctions or failures with the aircraft prior to the accident.

Pilot's Account

The pilot provided the account of the events, noting that the flight was proceeding normally until the sudden impact. No further details regarding the cause of the impact were provided.

Contributing factors

Altitude — Not attained/maintainedResponse/compensationPilot