Grumman G-164A accident near Tecunseh, Michigan, October 24, 1984
On October 24, 1984 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N5299, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tecunseh, Michigan (Al Meyers 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 1984 · about 10:10 pm local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Tecunseh, Michigan · Al Meyers · cases near this airport · 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
- N5299 · no longer on the register · serial 586
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT, THE PLT NOTED A CHANGE IN ENGINE SOUND AND A SLIGHT POWER LOSS. DURING TURN TO RETURN TO THE AIRSTRIP FOR PRECAUTIONARY LNDG, COMPLETE POWER LOSS OCCURRED. A FORCED LANDING WAS EXECUTED IN SOFT TERRAIN. ON LNDG ROLL, THE WHEELS SANK IN THE SOFT TERRAIN AND THE ACFT FLIPPED INVERTED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE #5 CYLINDER EXHAUST VALVE ROCKER SHAFT AND BOTH RETAINING NUTS (SAFETY WIRE REQUIRED) WERE MISSING.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 730 hours in all; 93 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,862 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 11, 1983; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,725 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3TE Tecumseh MI at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from JXN, 31 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5299: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Grumman G-164 119 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Grumman 443 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN1 31 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- AL Meyers Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,224 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI85LA027.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.