Schweizer G-164B accident near Larimore, North Dakota, September 3, 1997
On September 3, 1997 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Schweizer G-164B, registered N8326K, was destroyed in an accident near Larimore, North Dakota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot delaying the swath run turnaround maneuver at the end of the field boundary, and his failure to maintain clearance between the airplane and the high tension wires. A factor was the pilot's inattentiveness regarding the time to begin the swath run turnaround maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1997 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Larimore, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N8326K · registry record · serial 656B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane, which was applying a herbicide on a field, flew under high tension lines about 200 yards from the field's boundary. It then began a climbing 180-degree turn in preparation for its final swath run. The airplane collided with the electrical wires and impacted the earth a short time later. The pilot was seriously injured by the collision forces and postimpact fire. However, the pilot succumbed to paraquat poisoning 8 days after the accident. Paraquat is the active ingredient in Gramoxone Extra. According to the Material Data Safety Sheets and the manufacturer's product label, paraquat adversely affects the respiratory system and eventually leads to death by respiratory failure.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 800 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 1997; 296 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340-53H1-G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RLA
- Destination: RLA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from RDR, 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.