Grumman G-164A accident near Crowley, Louisiana, March 31, 1986
On March 31, 1986 at about 5:55 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N4561, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crowley, Louisiana. 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 conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 1986 · about 5:55 pm local time
- Place
- Crowley, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164A · all G-164As on the register
- Registration
- N4561 · no longer on the register · serial 1056
- 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 ACFT CRASHED INTO WIRES AND A HOUSE DURING AN ATTEMPTED FORCED LANDING. THE PLT WAS PREPARING TO DO RICE SEEDING WHEN THE ENG BEGAN TO BACKFIRE & LOSE POWER. THE PLT WAS TRYING TO RETURN TO THE AG STRIP WHEN THE ENG QUIT AND HE WAS FORCED TO LAND. ENG INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE #2 CYL WAS CRACKED AND HAD LOST COMPRESSION.
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: 2,244 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,153 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,347 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 9, 1986; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Crowley LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.