Grumman G-164 accident near Newkirk, Oklahoma, March 6, 1997
On March 6, 1997 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Grumman G-164, registered N527Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newkirk, Oklahoma. 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 partial loss of engine power due to failure of the blower (integral supercharger). A factor was the power line over which the pilot had to maneuver during the forced landing which resulted in insufficient airspeed to flare the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1997 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Newkirk, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164 · all G-164s on the register
- Registration
- N527Y · registry record · serial 164
- 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 agricultural airplane was applying fertilizer to a field when the engine began to lose power. The pilot selected an open meadow in which to make an emergency landing. On approach to the meadow, he maneuvered over a set of power lines and lost 'most of [his] flying airspeed.' The airplane landed hard in the meadow, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. Examination of the engine by the operator revealed that the blower (integral supercharger) had failed.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,634 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 1,399 as pilot in command; 416 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,458 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1996; 298 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,350 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 30°F (-1°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.
Other NTSB records under N527Y 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.