Grumman G164A accident near Osceola, Arkansas, August 16, 1990
On August 16, 1990 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Grumman G164A, registered N7864, was destroyed in an accident near Osceola, Arkansas (Osceola airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER CLEARANCE FROM THE POWER LINES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1990 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Osceola, Arkansas · Osceola · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G164A · all G164As on the register
- Registration
- N7864 · no longer on the register · serial 1001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE PILOT FLYING OVER THE HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION CABLES PRIOR TO SWATH RUNS. THE TENTH PASS THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TWO CABLES. POST CRASH FIRE CONSUMED MUCH OF THE WRECKAGE.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 4,341 hours in all; 3,559 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 20, 1990; 278 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R985-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 7M4 Osceola AR at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from JBR, 30 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 N7864 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.