Schweizer G-164B accident near Sturgis, Michigan, August 7, 2002
On August 7, 2002, a Schweizer G-164B, registered N8444K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sturgis, Michigan. 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 failure of the turbine section of the engine, and the unsuitable terrain encountered for the forced landing. The low altitude was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2002
- Place
- Sturgis, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N8444K · registry record · serial 716B
- 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 airplane was damaged when it nosed over during a forced landing in a soybean field following a loss of engine power while maneuvering. The airplane was involved in an aerial application flight. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the turbine section of the engine had failed.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command; 360 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 18, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,587 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 30, 2002; 282 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,710 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-1-151A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IN65 Shipshewana IN at 11:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N8444K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.