Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164 accident near Laurel, Delaware, July 2, 2016
On July 2, 2016 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 1978 Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164, registered N6781K, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Laurel, Delaware. 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
A total loss of engine power due to an encounter with a bird, which collided with the spray pump fan assembly and subsequently sent blade fragments into the engine compartment, damaging the throttle linkage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2016 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Laurel, Delaware · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164 B, built 1978 · all G-164s on the register
- Registration
- N6781K · no longer on the register · serial 472B
- 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 commercial pilot was completing the last pass of an aerial application flight between 20 and 60 ft above the ground when he heard a "loud bang" followed by a loss of engine power. He turned the airplane into the wind and set up for a forced landing in a corn field. The airplane landed on the corn and soft soil and nosed over, resulting in structural damage to the upper wing, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. Examination revealed that a bird struck the spray pump fan assembly, shattering the blades and sending blade fragments through the lower engine cowling. The blade fragments struck the engine throttle linkage, bending and rotating it to the idle/cutoff position, which resulted in the total loss of engine power.
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
What happened, in order
- Birdstrike during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Loss of engine power (total) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,700 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 23, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,033 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 23, 2016; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt And Whitney R-1340 S3H1-G (piston); 4,800 hours total
- Operator: Air Enterprises LLC
The flight
- Departed from: DE09 Magnolia DE at 2:00 pm
- Destination: DE09 Magnolia DE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from GED, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on May 16, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N6781K 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.