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April 29, 2011 · Grumman G-164A · N896X

Albion, NY

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
April 29, 2011
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (1 uninjured)
Location
Albion, NY
Aircraft
Grumman G-164A
Tail Number
N896X
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
ERA11LA290

The airplane sustained a total loss of engine power during the aerial application flight. The pilot maneuvered the airplane to a nearby dirt field and conducted a forced landing. Before the airplane came to a full stop it nosed over in the soft soil, damaging the left wing and vertical section of the airplane. The engine was partially disassembled by the pilot/owner. Two bearings in the collector section of the supercharger were damaged and seized, and bearing debris was observed in the collector area. Once the collector was disconnected from the engine, the crankshaft and piston moved freely. A review of the maintenance logbooks revealed no recent repairs related to the bearing failure.

NTSB Probable Cause

A bearing failure in the engine’s supercharger section, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during flight. Contributing to the accident was the soft soil of the forced landing site.

Full Narrative

On April 29, 2011, about 1840 eastern daylight time, a Grumman G-164A, N896X, nosed over during a forced landing onto an open field in Albion, New York. The certificated commercial pilot was uninjured and the airplane incurred substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the agricultural, aerial application flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. The flight originated from the pilot/owner’s private property about 1600. The responding Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) inspector stated that the pilot informed the Orleans County Sheriff Office representative that he was on the last application for the day when the engine “failed” (stopped producing power). The pilot elected to land in a nearby dirt field. The airplane’s main wheels sunk into the soft soil as lift depleted, which caused the airplane to nose over before coming to a complete stop. The airplane’s empennage and top wing spar incurred substantial damage. The propeller would not rotate when turned by hand and no external engine damage was observed. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with a single and multi-engine land, an instrument rating, and an airframe and powerplant mechanic’s certificate with an inspection authorization. He was issued a FAA second class medical certificate on March 3, 2011, with limitations. At that time, he reported a total of 15,000 civilian flight hours. The airplane was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B engine. The nine-cylinder, air cooled, supercharged, radial engine was rated at 450 horsepower at 2,300 rpm. The engine was partially disassembled by the pilot/owner. Two bearings in the collector, a section of the supercharger, were observed damaged, seized, and bearing debris were observed in the collector area. Once the collector was disconnected from the engine, the crankshaft and pistons moved freely. A review of the airplane’s engine maintenance records showed, at the time of the accident, the engine had a total of 1,131 hours since major overhaul, which was performed on September 4, 1992, at an unknown total time in service. The supercharger section was inspected and repaired on March 20, 2002, due to high engine oil consumption. The last inspection to the engine was performed on April 19, 2011, with a 1,121 hours total time since major overhaul.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time18:40 EDT
Nearest Airport30nm
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftGrumman G-164A
Tail NumberN896X
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
Operating RulePart 137
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsP&W · R-985 SERIES · Reciprocating · 450
Seats1

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (1 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured1
Total1
Crew 1Age 64 · Second Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind240° @ 6 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingOvercast 4600 ft
Temperature / Dew Point41 C / 37 C
Altimeter29.94 inHg
Observation Time22:54
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data