Schweizer Aircraft CORP G-164B accident near Rice, Minnesota, August 21, 2023
On August 21, 2023 at about 7:56 pm local time, a 1983 Schweizer Aircraft CORP G-164B, registered N943QC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Rice, Minnesota (Oleen AG Air 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’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with a left crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2023 · about 7:56 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Rice, Minnesota · Oleen AG Air · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer Aircraft CORP G-164B, built 1983 · all G-164Bs on the register
- Registration
- N943QC · registry record · serial 711B
- 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 reported that he performed a straight in landing to a private airstrip. He anticipated a crosswind from the east, so he made the approach with additional airspeed to have more controllability in the crosswind. He stated that he landed about two thirds of the way down the 2,574 ft runway, reduced power, and reduced the propeller pitch to low. The tailwheel settled to the ground at a location on the runway where there was a break in the adjacent tree line. The pilot reported that the crosswind intensified at this point, and the airplane yawed to the left. The left main landing gear exited the paved portion of the runway. The pilot attempted to correct with rudder and brakes; however, the airplane continued off the runway and into a plowed field. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted in the field. The vertical stabilizer was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, wind at an airport 12 nm northwest of the accident site was 090°at 8 knots. The pilot was landing to the south.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Other weather encounter during landing (landing roll)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 8,687 hours in all; 7,500 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 8,617 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 6, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney R1340 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Fort Ripley MN at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,574 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,500 ft; scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from KLXL, 12 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KLXL 211955Z AUTO 11010KT 073V133 10SM OVC045 25/18 A3017
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 10, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | 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 N943QC 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
- N943QC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer Aircraft Corp G-164 64 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney R1340 1,229 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Minnesota 1,544 since 1982 · 209 in the last ten years
- Minnesota 6,943 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N943QC 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/CEN23LA375.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.