Grumman G-164A accident near Crowley, Louisiana, July 16, 1988
On July 16, 1988 at about 1:55 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N8580H, was destroyed in an accident near Crowley, Louisiana. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 16, 1988 · about 1:55 pm local time
- Place
- Crowley, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164A · all G-164As on the register
- Registration
- N8580H · no longer on the register · serial 1417
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AGRICULTURAL PILOT WAS WORKING IN A FIELD WHICH HAD TELEPHONE LINES AT ONE END AND POWER LINES AT THE OTHER. ON HIS LAST RUN, AS HE STARTED HIS PULL UP, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE POWER LINES AT ONE END OF THE FIELD. THE AIRPLANE WENT THROUGH THE POWER LINES, PASSED OVER A HOUSE, STRUCK TREES AND HIT THE GROUND IN AN INVERTED POSITION. A FIRE WHICH STARTED FOLLOWING IMPACT WAS SUPPRESSED LONG ENOUGH TO REMOVE THE PILOT, BUT THEN DESTROYED THE ACFT.
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: 6,500 hours in all; 5,200 in this make and model; 225 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 6,350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,810 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 1988; 469 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from LFT, 17 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.