Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Nelson, CA
The pilot reported that he had to fly over wires to enter the field where he was to apply chemicals. On his first pass over the rice field, he allowed the aircraft to get too low after clearing the wires and was unable to pull out before the main landing gear wheels touched the water and crops. The aircraft then crashed into the rice field. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions prior to the accident.
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate ground clearance altitude while applying chemicals to a rice field.
On August 3, 1998, at 1030 hours Pacific daylight time, a Grumman G-164A, N8388, collided with a rice paddy while applying chemicals near Nelson, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by Williams AG Service of Biggs, California, and was on a local area aerial application flight under 14 CFR Part 137 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The aircraft was destroyed in the ground collision sequence. The commercial pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Biggs airport on the day of the accident at 1000. In the pilot's written statement to the Safety Board, he reported that he had to fly over wires to enter the field. On his first pass over the rice field, he allowed the aircraft to get too low and was unable to pull out. The main landing gear wheels touched the water and crops, and the aircraft crashed into the rice field. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions prior to the accident.