On May 28, 2024, a SCHWEIZER AIRCRAFT CORP G-164B (registration N3629Y) operated by AvAg was involved in an aviation accident near Richvale, CA. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a trailer located on the edge of the runway during takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the location of the trailer on the side of the runway. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
On May 28, 2024, a Schweizer G-164B, N3629Y, was substantially damaged after its right wing struck a parked hopper trailer during takeoff near Richvale, California. The pilot was fatally injured.
Accident Overview and Flight Details On May 28, 2024, at approximately 1346 Pacific daylight time, a turbine-powered Schweizer Aircraft Corp G-164B airplane, registration N3629Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Richvale, California. The aircraft was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The pilot was fatally injured. According to the operator, the airplane departed runway 34 at the Richvale Airport (07CL) with 80 gallons of Jet-A turbine fuel and 345 gallons of agricultural material in its hopper. The pilot was scheduled to spray multiple agricultural fields. Runway 34 measured 50 feet in width and 2,220 feet in length. A witness located at the north end of the airfield reported that the airplane became airborne about midfield before initiating a shallow left turn to the northwest. During this maneuver, the airplane's lower right wing struck a hopper trailer parked off the left side of the runway, near the departure end, approximately 110 feet before the threshold. Following the collision, the airplane descended and impacted terrain near a drainage culvert beyond the north end of the runway. The aircraft came to rest on its left side in a field about 150 feet northwest of the departure end of runway 34, oriented on a heading of 299° magnetic. All major structures of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. The first point of impact was the top of the hopper trailer. Ground scars forming a 25-foot-long arc were located between the trailer and the main wreckage, which was situated about 200 feet northwest of the trailer. An odor consistent with Jet-A fuel was noted beneath the fuselage at the accident site. ## Damage Examination The upper wing had completely separated from the fuselage, while both lower wings had partially separated at their wing roots. The top wing was broken about midspan and was collocated with the main wreckage. Three of the four ailerons remained attached to their respective wings; the top right-wing aileron was partially separated. The top-left wingtip was partially fractured, and compression wrinkles were observed throughout the top and bottom skin of the wing. A gouge was located at the left-wing leading edge about midspan. The top-right wingtip was separated, and the wing was bent near the center-top wing. The braces from the bottom and top left wing remained attached but were deformed. The bottom left wingtip was separated, and the outboard leading edge exhibited deformation. A gouge was located in the outboard aileron trailing edge of the bottom left wing, and the aileron exhibited an upward deflection. The bottom left aileron displayed compression wrinkles and bending. The outboard bottom right wing exhibited torsional deformation, a large chordwise gouge about midspan, and a chordwise depression. The braces between the top and bottom right wings were separated. The right bottom wing exhibited a large gouge and depression about 6.5 feet from the wingtip. The gouge was about 2 feet wide at the leading edge and tapered chordwise about 3.5 feet towards the trailing edge, through the wing spar, to the about midspan point of the bottom right aileron. The empennage was separated from the fuselage. The left elevator remained attached to the horizontal stabilizer, which was located partially beneath the fuselage. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator had separated from the empennage and were crushed. Deformation and compression wrinkles were observed throughout the vertical stabilizer and rudder, which were both collocated with the main wreckage. The rudder remained attached to the vertical stabilizer, which was folded back at the lower leading edge. The hopper tank remained attached to the fuselage, and the engine had separated from it, coming to rest a few feet from the main wreckage. The left-wing hopper boom was collocated with the main wreckage, and the right-wing hopper boom was located at the first point of impact (the hopper trailer). All three propeller blades remained attached to the propeller hub, which was attached to the engine. Each blade displayed varying degrees of bending. Two of the blades exhibited gouges at the blade tips and were bent about midspan toward the cambered side of the blades. The third blade was also bent about midspan toward the cambered side of the blade. ## Post-Accident Findings During a postaccident examination of the airframe and engine, flight control continuity was established from all flight control surfaces to the flight controls in the cockpit. The engine displayed contact signatures to its internal components that were consistent with the engine developing power at the time of impact. The FAA forensic toxicology report indicated negative results for all substances tested. The pilot’s autopsy was conducted by the Butte County Coroner in Oroville, California. The cause of death was blunt force injury of the neck.