Schweizer G-164B accident near Butte City, California, May 31, 2001
On May 31, 2001 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Schweizer G-164B, registered N6902K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Butte City, California. 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
a fatigue failure of a propeller bolt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2001 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Butte City, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N6902K · no longer on the register · serial 5178
- 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 collided with high vegetation when the pilot made an off airport forced landing following a loss of engine power. The local aerial application flight departed a private strip. The pilot reported that a heavy vibration developed in the engine, and he shut it down. He tried to return to a nearby dirt strip, but had to land in a hay field. On the landing roll, the airplane encountered tall vegetation, which damaged the wings and landing gear attachment points. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane, and found a fractured bolt on the propeller. Metallurgical examination of the bolt indicated that the part failed in fatigue at a region of increased stress (stress concentration), though the part overall was not highly stressed (small overstress region).
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
- Flight time: 1,150 hours in all; 718 in this make and model; 335 in the last 90 days; 275 in the last 30 days; 1,087 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,465.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2001; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Butte City CA at 1:15 pm
- Destination: Butte City CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 1:48 pm from CIC, 24 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 N6902K 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.