Schweizer G-164B accident near Tyler, Alabama, September 2, 1983
On September 2, 1983 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Schweizer G-164B, registered N8438K, was destroyed in an accident near Tyler, Alabama. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 2, 1983 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tyler, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N8438K · no longer on the register · serial 69B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT WHILE HE WAS SPRAY A FIELD, HE WAS FLYING UNDER 2 TRANSMISSION LINES. HE REPORTED THAT AS HE BEGAN SPRAYING THE FIELD, THERE WAS A THUNDERSTORM APRX 2 TO 3 MI AWAY & THE AIR BECAME 'ROUGH.' AS THE ACFT WAS CROSSING UNDER THE 2ND WIRE ON THE 3RD SWATH RUN, IT ENCOUNTERED A GUST OF WIND WHICH RAISED THE LEFT WING. THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE LOWER WIRES, THEN THE RIGHT WING WAS DAMAGED WHEN THE ACFT HIT TREES, JUST BEYOND THE TRANSMISSION LINE AT THE EDGE OF THE FIELD. THE PLT REPORTED THAT BY THEN, THE ACFT WAS ALMOST UNFLYABLE, BUT HE WAS ABLE TO LAND IN A SMALL FIELD. BEFORE STOPPING, THE ACFT HIT A FENCE, THEN BEGAN TO BURN. THE PLT RECEIVED ONLY MINOR BURNS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 1,000 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 644 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 9, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 6,075 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.