Grumman G-164A accident near New Roads, Louisiana, July 29, 2002
On July 29, 2002 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N48523, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Roads, Louisiana. 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2002 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- New Roads, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164A · all G-164As on the register
- Registration
- N48523 · no longer on the register · serial 1659
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the aerial application flight, the pilot had aligned the airplane for the third swath when the airplane "snapped hard to the left and went into a spin." During the recovery procedure, the airplane struck the ground at a 45 degree angle. Structural damage was found throughout the airframe.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,610 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,550 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 8, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 2002; 35 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340 AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HZR New Roads LA at 3:00 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°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 N48523 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.