Gulfstream-Schweizer A/C CORP GULFSTREAM AM G-164B accident near Blessing, Texas, September 21, 2010
On September 21, 2010 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Gulfstream-Schweizer A/C CORP GULFSTREAM AM G-164B, registered N8157K, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Blessing, Texas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from wires while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2010 · about 6:15 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Blessing, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream-Schweizer A/C CORP GULFSTREAM AM G-164B · all GULFSTREAM AM G-164Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8157K · registry record · serial 591B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting an aerial application flight over a cotton field. While applying the load, the pilot lost awareness of his proximity to obstacles and the airplane collided with a transmission wire. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical fin and rudder, and the pilot subsequently lost control of the airplane. The airplane then impacted a small body of water.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 25,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 31, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,357 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fehmel Planes INC
The flight
- Departed from: T84 Bay City TX at 4:55 pm
- Destination: T84 Bay City TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 5:05 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on October 25, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N8157K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8157K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Gulfstream-Schweizer A/C Corp GULFSTREAM AM G-164B 33 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34 42 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,062 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,976 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N8157K 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN10CA553.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.