Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A accident near Monette, Arkansas, August 29, 2011
On August 29, 2011 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A, registered N48378, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Monette, Arkansas. 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 fracture of the throttle cable in tensile overstress because of wear damage, which resulted in the partial loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2011 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Monette, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A · all G-164As on the register
- Registration
- N48378 · no longer on the register · serial 1620
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While climbing out from a private airstrip, the airplane experienced a partial loss of power at 150 feet, and the pilot executed an emergency forced landing in a cotton field. The airplane touched down in the field and subsequently nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The throttle cable was found fractured between the engine and the firewall. Laboratory examination determined that the cable fractured in tensile overstress associated with wear damage. The wear damage is consistent with a sharp bend in the cable trajectory. It is likely that the push-pull operation of the throttle cable may have resulted in further damage to the cable.
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 engine power (partial) during takeoff defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 520 in the last 90 days; 290 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 29, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 8, 2010
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tri-Air LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Monette AR at 10:45 pm
- Destination: Monette AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.