Grumman-Schweizer G-164B accident near Ferriday, Louisiana, March 28, 2002
On March 28, 2002 at about 3:35 pm local time, a Grumman-Schweizer G-164B, registered N8498K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ferriday, Louisiana (W&E Air Service Airstrip airport). 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 failure of the number three cylinder exhaust rocker arm, resulting in a total loss of engine power. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 2002 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Ferriday, Louisiana · W&E Air Service Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman-Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N8498K · no longer on the register · serial 715B
- 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 reported that after completing a spray run and turning back to the field, "the engine started popping and eventually went dead." The pilot landed in the open cotton field he was spraying, impacted soft terrain, flipped over, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the engine revealed that the #3 cylinder exhaust rocker arm had broken approximately two-thirds of the way around the assembly.
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
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 12, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,172 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2001; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney 1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N/A W&E Flying Ser. LA at 3:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from HEZ, 16 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.
Other NTSB records under N8498K 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.