Grumman G164 accident near Rice, Minnesota, August 16, 2020
On August 16, 2020 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 1979 Grumman G164, registered N997QC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Rice, Minnesota (Private airport). 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 pilot did not maintain control of the airplane during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2020 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rice, Minnesota · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G164 B, built 1979 · all G164s on the register
- Registration
- N997QC · registry record · serial 568B
- 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 en route to spray a field when he received a call over the company radio to return to the airport. He returned for landing with the full application load. The airstrip consisted of gravel and asphalt; grass areas bordered the runway. The main wheels touched down near the runway threshold; the initial portion of the runway was gravel. The tail wheel settled onto the runway as the airspeed dissipated, and the pilot brought the propeller into reverse. However, the tailwheel encountered a “bump” which started some pitch oscillations; this might have occurred at the transition from gravel to asphalt. The pilot reported no elevator or rudder authority, possibly due to the reduced airflow over the empennage resulting from the reverse thrust. He noted that a go-around was not an option at that point. The airplane yawed to the right and departed the paved area, proceeded into the grass area, and finally into the soft ground adjacent to the runway causing the airplane to nose over. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
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 on ground during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,765 hours in all; 495 in this make and model; 465 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 8,765 as pilot in command; 75 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 12, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,938 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 2019
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Honeywell TPE-331-1-101 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Rice MN at 1:00 pm
- Destination: PVT Rice MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,200 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 1:01 pm from LXL, 12 miles away
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.