Grumman-Schweizer G-164 accident near Grant, Nebraska, August 7, 1996
On August 7, 1996 at about 4:19 pm local time, a Grumman-Schweizer G-164, registered N8842H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grant, Nebraska. 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
fatigue failure and subsequent catastrophic failure of the number nine cylinder. A factor was the corn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1996 · about 4:19 pm local time
- Place
- Grant, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman-Schweizer G-164
- Registration
- N8842H · no longer on the register · serial 1537
- 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 he was at an altitude of 41 feet, entering his eighth swath run, when the number nine cylinder 'exploded.' The windscreen became covered with oil. He made a shallow turn to avoid a rotary irrigation system and made a forced landing in a corn field. During the forced landing, the left wing impacted the corn and the landing gear 'started sinking into the mud.' The airplane 'spun around' sustaining substantial damage to the lower wings, fuselage, and left wing support struts. Examination of the airplane revealed the number nine cylinder was fractured between the barrel and the head. Evidence of fatigue cracking was evident around the entire circumference of the head. The major fatigue zones accounted for approximately 25 percent of the fracture surface.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,473 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 374 in the last 90 days; 192 in the last 30 days; 6,246 as pilot in command; 632 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,571 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 1995; 402 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GGF at 3:59 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N8842H 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.