Grumman G164 accident near Illinois City, Illinois, May 29, 1997
On May 29, 1997 at about 11:58 pm local time, a Grumman G164, registered N474Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Illinois City, Illinois. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to see and maintain clearance from a static wire. The proximity of the wire was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1997 · about 11:58 pm local time
- Place
- Illinois City, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G164 · all G164s on the register
- Registration
- N474Y · no longer on the register · serial 119
- 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 was conducting an agricultural spraying operation when the airplane hit a static wire at the top of a power line. The pilot was flying parallel to the power line during the spraying operation. Witnesses reported that the pilot began a pull up and left turn, when the airplane's left wing tip struck the static wire. Aircraft and engine examinations did not reveal any discrepancy. The pilot said that he failed to keep the power line foremost in his mind, and that he was looking past the wires to the far end of the pasture that he was spraying and did not see the wire that the airplane hit.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 580 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,730 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C00 Aledo IL at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from MLI, 20 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.
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.