Grumman G-164 accident near Bay Minnette, Alabama, September 27, 1982
On September 27, 1982 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Grumman G-164, registered N463RF, was destroyed in an accident near Bay Minnette, Alabama (Bay Minette Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 1982 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bay Minnette, Alabama · Bay Minette Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164 · all G-164s on the register
- Registration
- N463RF · no longer on the register · serial 125
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING TAKEOFF, HE NOTICED EXTREME HEAT IN THE COCKPIT AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SURGE, THEN LOSE POWER. HE LANDED ON THE REMAINDER OF THE RUNWAY AND STOPPED AFTER RUNNING OFF THE END. HOWEVER, THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE AND THE PLANE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED. AN INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE FUEL HOSE THAT WENT FROM THE FUEL INJECTOR SERVO UNIT TO THE FLOW DIVIDER WAS SEPARATED AT THE SERVO END AND WAS BADLY DAMAGED BY FIRE. THE ENGINE HAD ACCUMULATED 597 HRS FLIGHT TIME SINCE THE LAST OVERHAUL. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE FAILED HOSE HAD ACCUMULATED 657 HRS FLIGHT TIME.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 12,400 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,714 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,725 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720A1B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
- Operator: Clark Aircraft INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Bay Minnette AL at 3:30 pm
- Destination: Bay Minnette AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.