Grumman G-164B accident near Dighton, Kansas, June 1, 2006
On June 1, 2006 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Grumman G-164B, registered N14RY, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dighton, Kansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The broken rocker arm boss causing the number 1 cylinder exhaust valve to stay closed and subsequently the engine failed. A factor contributing to the accident was the soft field the airplane set down in.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 2006 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dighton, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164B · all G-164Bs on the register
- Registration
- N14RY · no longer on the register · serial 271B
- 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 airplane was taking off on an aerial application flight. Shortly after lifting off, the airplane's engine lost power. The commercial pilot set the airplane down on the runway toward the departure end. The airplane went off the end of the runway and into a wheat field. The airplane's main gear tires sank into the soft wet soil and the airplane subsequently nosed over causing the engine to fracture and separate from the fuselage and crushing the vertical stabilizer and rudder downward. The pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. An examination of the airplane's engine revealed that the rocker arm boss on the number 1 cylinder had fractured leaving the exhaust valve on the cylinder closed and resulting in the subsequent engine 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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,206 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental R-975 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K65 Dighton KS at 10:00 pm
- 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.