Grumman G-164 accident near Shelbyville, Tennessee, March 27, 1987
On March 27, 1987 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Grumman G-164, registered N654Y, was destroyed in an accident near Shelbyville, Tennessee. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- March 27, 1987 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Shelbyville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164 · all G-164s on the register
- Registration
- N654Y · no longer on the register · serial 262
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS BEING OPERATED FROM A DIRT ROAD THAT WAS REPORTEDLY ONLY SLIGHTLY WIDER THAN THE ACFT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD JUST COMPLETED A SPRAYING OPERATION AND WAS ABOUT TO PUT OUT SOME FERTILIZER. HE STATED THAT HE INSTALLED THE SPREADER, BUT LEFT THE SPRAY BOOMS AND PUMP ON THE ACFT SINCE HE ONLY HAD 3 LOADS TO PUT OUT. THE SUBSEQUENT TAKEOFF ROLL WAS EXTENDED AND THE RT SPRAY BOOM STRUCK A DIRT BANK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE PLT RAISED THE RT WING AND BEGAN TO DUMP THE ACFT'S LOAD OF FERTILIZER. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY BECAME AIRBORNE AND STRUCK SOME BUSHES. DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB, THE LT WING STRUCK A TREE AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER, IMPACTED THE TERRAIN INVERTED, AND CAUGHT FIRE. THE PLT LATER REPORTED TO THE FAA THAT THE ACFT WAS 'JUST TOO HEAVY'.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,300 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 13,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,484 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 3,725 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.
Other NTSB records under N654Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.