Grumman G-164A accident near Veedersburg, Indiana, July 28, 2008
On July 28, 2008 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N9892, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Veedersburg, Indiana. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The oil filler cap not reinstalled by the pilot prior to the aerial application flight and the total loss of engine oil during an aerial application. Additional causes were the low altitude of the operation and the unsuitable terrain encountered by the pilot during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2008 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Veedersburg, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164A · all G-164As on the register
- Registration
- N9892 · registry record · serial 1324
- 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 had serviced the airplane prior to an aerial application flight of a field during which the airplane lost engine power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a northerly direction on a hard surface road near the field, which had corn along its left side and a pole along its right side. While the pilot was trying to avoid the pole along the right side of the road, the airplane impacted the corn and terrain with its left wing resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The left and right wings were buckled and bent from the impact. The pilot was uninjured. Examination of the airplane revealed that the oil filler cap was not installed resulting in a total loss of engine oil. The oil filler cap was found in the lower portion of the engine nacelle.
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 (total) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Not specified
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Not specified
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Incorrect service/maintenance
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,816 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 219 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CFJ Crawfordsville IN
- Destination: CFJ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N9892 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI08CA217.