Grumman G-164A accident near Kinder, Louisiana, July 14, 1988
On July 14, 1988 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N8512H, suffered minor damage in an accident near Kinder, Louisiana (Manuel Brothers 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 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
- July 14, 1988 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kinder, Louisiana · Manuel Brothers Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164A · all G-164As on the register
- Registration
- N8512H · no longer on the register · serial 1389
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS SPRAYING A FUNGICIDE ON THE FIELD AND THE OWNER OF THE FIELD WAS FLAGGING FOR HIM, ON THE TOP OF A DIKE, ON THE WEST END OF THE FIELD. DURING NORMAL OPERATION, THE FLAGMAN STAYED IN POSITION UNTIL THE AIRPLANE WAS 300 FEET AWAY, AT WHICH TIME HE WOULD MOVE 16 STEPS NORTH FOR THE NEXT RUN. THE FLAGMAN, WITH HIS UMBRELLA, WAS 12 FEET ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE FIELD. HE HAD MOVED 8 STEPS WHEN HE WAS STRUCK BY THE END OF THE RIGHT SPRAY BOOM. THE PILOT SAID A SPRAY RESIDUE ON THE WINDSHIELD MIGHT HAVE OBSCURED HIS VIEW DURING THE START OF HIS TURN-AROUND. THE FLAGMAN SUFFERED A SERIOUS HEAD INJURY.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 14,000 in this make and model; 500 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 16,800 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,898 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 1988; 840 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from LCH, 31 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.
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.