Allied Ag Cat Productions, Inc G-164A accident near Trufant, Michigan, July 31, 2005
On July 31, 2005 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Allied Ag Cat Productions, Inc G-164A, registered N8951H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trufant, 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 pilot's inadequate visual lookout and not maintaining clearance from the watering pivot during the aerial application maneuver and the unsuitable terrain he encountered during the emergency landing. A factor was the sunglare encountered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2005 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Trufant, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Allied Ag Cat Productions, Inc G-164A
- Registration
- N8951H · no longer on the register · serial 1589
- 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 sustained substantial damage on impact with an object and a field during an aerial application maneuver. The pilot stated, "The contributing factor or cause of the accident was the aircraft was flying into the sun at 8:00 AM in the morning making visibility bad. The reason for flying into the east sun was to avoid flying directly at a house. [A] pivot was the object struck causing damage enough to constitute landing in the potato field adjoining the field being sprayed."
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,716 hours in all; 817 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 175 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,629.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2005; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,075 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 13C Lakeview MI at 11:30 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 22,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from GRR
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.
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.