Grumman G-164 accident near Williams, California, June 7, 1982
On June 7, 1982 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Grumman G-164, registered N641U, was destroyed in an accident near Williams, 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
- June 7, 1982 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Williams, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164 · all G-164s on the register
- Registration
- N641U · no longer on the register · serial 377
- 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 WAS APPLYING A GRANULAR HERBICIDE TO A RICE FIELD WITH LOW VOLTAGE WIRES ON THE WEST BORDER AND HIGH VOLTAGE LINES LOCATED DIAGONALLY ACROSS THE FIELD. DURING A PASS FROM WEST TO EAST, HE CROSSED OVER THE LOW VOLTAGE WIRES AND LOWERED THE NOSE TO FLY UNDER THE HIGH VOLTAGE LINES. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS PARTIALLY BLINDED BY SUNGLARE ON HIS GOGGLES AND HIS LINE OF SIGHT WAS OBSTRUCTED BY THE TOP WING. THE PLANE STRUCK A HIGH VOLTAGE WIRE AND CRASHED IN THE RICE FIELD.
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: 2,775 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 390 in the last 90 days; 2,725 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,271 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,725 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Williams CA at 11:25 am
- Destination: Williams CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 172°F (78°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.