Grumman G-164B accident near King City, California, July 3, 2000
On July 3, 2000 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Grumman G-164B, registered N48456, was destroyed in an accident near King City, California. 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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2000 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- King City, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164B · all G-164Bs on the register
- Registration
- N48456 · no longer on the register · serial 29B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had flown about 4 hours in the airplane earlier that morning with no discrepancies noted. After reloading and refueling the airplane, he flew about 2 or 3 miles to the field he was to spray and completed three spray passes. As he started the fourth pass, about 50 - 100 yards into the field, the engine "sputtered" and lost power. The pilot pulled up toward a nearby open field but realized, because of the heavy weight of the aircraft, he couldn't make the field and turned to land on a field perimeter road. He landed tail high (2-point) and, as the tail came down, the wingtip hit an embankment on the right side and the airplane veered into the bank and came to rest. The pilot extricated himself and a postcrash fire ensued which consumed the airplane. Postcrash examination of the fuel truck that serviced the airplane revealed that the truck appeared well maintained and a fuel sample from the truck appeared clear and usable. No fuel sample remained in the aircraft after the fire. The aircraft was a total loss and no further examination was made to determine the cause of the engine failure.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 3,950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,641 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 14, 2000; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 122°F (50°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from SNS, 45 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.