Grumman G-164 accident near St. Joseph, Louisiana, March 28, 1998
On March 28, 1998 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Grumman G-164, registered N617Y, was destroyed in an accident near St. Joseph, 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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the trees. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the ensuing forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 1998 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- St. Joseph, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164 · all G-164s on the register
- Registration
- N617Y · no longer on the register · serial 232
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following three uneventful aerial application flights, the pilot removed the biplane's cockpit side windows. While completing the first pass of the fourth flight, the pilot 'noticed the plane did not perform as it had previously.' As he turned the airplane to begin the second pass, it settled into the trees bordering the field being sprayed. While in the trees, the pilot advanced the propeller and throttle controls and made an unsuccessful attempt to dump his load of herbicide. Upon reaching the edge of the trees, the pilot 'nosed the aircraft over to land in a small field before hitting the wire across the road.' As he flared to land, the airplane impacted the road embankment. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over, came to a stop in the inverted position, and began to burn. The postcrash fire consumed the fuselage, empennage, and the upper and lower right wings.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 15,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,362 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 21, 1997; 344 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N617Y 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.