Grumman 164B accident near Lodi, California, May 7, 1983
On May 7, 1983 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Grumman 164B, registered N6530K, was destroyed in an accident near Lodi, California (Lodi airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- May 7, 1983 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lodi, California · Lodi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman 164B
- Registration
- N6530K · no longer on the register · serial 533B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ROLLING FOR TAKEOFF AT DAWN WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER CROP DUSTER TAXIING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTIONTHE AIRCRAFT TAKING OFF HAD ROLLED ABOUT 100 FEET WHEN THE PILOT SAW A RED LIGHT ON THE RUNWAY AND ABORTED THE TAKEOFF AND ATTEMPTED TO STOP OR EVADE THE LIGHT. ALL EFFORTS TO TURN OR STOP WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN AVOIDING A COLLISION AND ATAN ESTIMATED 5 MPH UNDER HEAVY BRAKING THE AIRCRAFT NOSED DOWN AND COLLIDED AT THE SAME TIME. THE FUEL TANKS OF BOTH AIRCRAFT RUPTURED AND FIRE ERUPTED IMMEDIATELY. THE TAXIING CROP DUSTER WAS NOT BEING OPERATED INCIDENT TO FLIGHT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,668 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 4,381 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,027 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 1983; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 3,090 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°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.