Grumman G-164B accident near Delano, California, September 27, 1982
On September 27, 1982 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Grumman G-164B, registered N48482, was destroyed in an accident near Delano, 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 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 27, 1982 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Delano, 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
- N48482 · no longer on the register · serial 40B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH WIRES DURING SPRAYING OF GRAPES. NO AIR OR GROUND SURVEY MADE WHICH WAS A NORMAL PROCEDURE. WORK PRESSURE CREATED THE DEVIATION.
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: 847 hours in all; 225 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 793 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,800 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P & W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DLO Delano CA
- Destination: DLO Delano CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 167°F (75°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.