Schweizer G-164B accident near Corcoran, California, September 21, 2000
On September 21, 2000 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Schweizer G-164B, registered N3626T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Corcoran, 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 pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and his failure to maintain directional control during takeoff. Factors were the pilot's failure to ensure that the fuel tank cover was replaced properly, fuel contamination of the windscreen, and the sun angle that obscured the pilot's vision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2000 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Corcoran, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N3626T · no longer on the register · serial 722B
- 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 airplane veered into a cotton field during takeoff from a dirt canal bank. During refueling, Jet A fuel was spilled on the windshield. The pilot cleaned the windshield and attempted a takeoff. Residual fuel started collecting on the windshield and he aborted the takeoff. He cleaned the windshield more thoroughly and attempted a second takeoff. As the airplane reached flying speed, fluid once again collected on the windshield and obscured his vision. He was departing to the east into the rising sun and lost his forward visual reference. He said there was not sufficient runway remaining to reject the takeoff, therefore he continued. The airplane gained less than 5 feet of altitude and drifted about 20 degrees left. The airplane collided with cotton plants about 2 feet tall, and continued about 300 feet through the field before coming to rest. The right main gear and spray boom separated, and the upper wing partially separated.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 15,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6-27 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Corcoran CA at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from VIS, 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.
Other NTSB records under N3626T 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.