Grumman G-164 accident near Wessington, South Dakota, June 12, 1986
On June 12, 1986, a Grumman G-164, registered N751Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wessington, South Dakota. 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
- June 12, 1986 · cases in 1986
- Place
- Wessington, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164 · all G-164s on the register
- Registration
- N751Y · registry record · serial 328
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, DURING MANEUVERING ON A SWATH RUN, THE ACFT HE WAS PILOTING ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT, FORCING THE ACFT DOWN UNTIL CONTACT WITH THE GROUND.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,846 hours in all; 692 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 3,835 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,133 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1986; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,250 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755-A2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jmc Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Wessington SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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 N751Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N751Y on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Grumman G-164 119 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Grumman 443 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Jacobs R-755-A2 11 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in South Dakota 469 since 1982 · 69 in the last ten years
- South Dakota 2,276 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N751Y 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN86LA162.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.