Introduction
On May 9, 2013, at approximately 1630 Pacific daylight time, a Schweizer G-164B bi-wing, tail-wheel airplane, registration N8214S, collided with runway service equipment during the landing roll at the William's Ag Services airstrip in Biggs, California. The pilot was not injured; the operator of the service equipment sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained minor damage.
Accident Details
The airplane was registered to Clarence E. Williams and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a post-maintenance repositioning flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Yuba County Airport in Marysville, California, approximately at 1615.
Pilot's Account
According to a written statement provided by the pilot to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the pilot entered the traffic pattern on an angled downwind approach, then descended to 500 feet above ground level. He announced his intentions to land and was informed by Williams Ag Services operations that maintenance was being performed on the south end of the runway. The pilot scanned the area and observed trucks parked on the south end of the airstrip property. He stated that he saw nothing on the runway. The pilot landed mid-field on runway 18 and began performing S-turns due to the restricted front view of the tail-wheel airplane while taxiing. Soon thereafter, he felt the collision, immediately applied the brakes, and came to a stop on the runway. The flight was uneventful up until the collision.
Post-Accident Examination
The operator of the service equipment was part of a maintenance crew repairing the runway. No other personnel were in the area at the time of the accident. The operator was pushing an 8-horsepower blower down the center of the runway and was wearing hearing protection. An examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed minor damage to both the inlet scoop and the lower right wing lower surface.