Grumman G-164A accident near Magma, Arizona, September 23, 1982
On September 23, 1982 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N6602, was substantially damaged in an accident near Magma, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 1982 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Magma, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164A · all G-164As on the register
- Registration
- N6602 · no longer on the register · serial 740
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE ENG BECAME ROUGH & LOSING POWER. THE PLT OBSERVED LONG STREAKS OF RED FLAME POURING FROM THE EXHAUST. THE PESTICIDE WAS JETTISONED & AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO RETURN TO THE STRIP. THE ENG CONTINUED TO LOSE POWER & QUIT COMPLETELY JUST SHORT OF THE STRIP AT 75 FT AGL. THE ACFT STRUCK A CEMENT IRRIGATION DITCH ON TOUCHDOWN. THERE WERENO ENG MALFUNCTIONS FOUND DURING AN ENG TEST RUN AFTER THE ACCIDENT.
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: 16,500 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 16,172 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,707 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,075 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P & W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: K&K Aerial Applicators, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Magma AZ at 4:57 am
- Destination: Magma AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 225° at 1 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 176°F (80°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.
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.