Grumman G164A accident near Brundidge, Alabama, June 25, 1993
On June 25, 1993 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Grumman G164A, registered N48584, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brundidge, Alabama. 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 BROKEN CARBURETOR ACCELERATOR PUMP PISTON RIVET WHICH LODGED UNDER THE NEEDLE VALVE, ALLOWED THE FLOAT CHAMBER TO FLOOD WITH FUEL, AND THE ENGINE TO QUIT. THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1993 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Brundidge, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G164A · all G164As on the register
- Registration
- N48584 · no longer on the register · serial 1664
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER COMPLETING AN AERIAL APPLICATION SPRAY RUN, THE FLIGHT WAS EN ROUTE TO THE BASE FIELD. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT A PUFF OF BLACK SMOKE WAS EMITTED FROM THE EXHAUST, AND THE ENGINE QUIT. DENSE WOODS WERE BENEATH THE AIRPLANE, SO IT WAS FORCE LANDED IN THE TREES. THE EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT TWO RIVETS WHICH FASTENED THE CARBURETOR ACCELERETOR PUMP PISTON WERE BROKEN. THEY WERE FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR FLOAT CHAMBER WITH ONE OF THE RIVETS NEAR THE NEEDLE AND SEAT. THE ENGINE PROBABLY QUIT WHEN A RIVET LODGED UNDER THE NEEDLE AND ALLOWED THE CARBURETOR TO FLOOD WITH FUEL.
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
- Flight time: 8,629 hours in all; 7,500 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 8,544 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,154 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 22, 1993; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 13,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from MGM, 42 miles away
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.