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Accidents · NTSB LAX84LA338 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Grumman G-164B accident near Tracy, California, June 7, 1984

On June 7, 1984 at about 12:40 pm local time, a Grumman G-164B, registered N6708K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tracy, California (Paradise Strip airport). 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, 1984 · about 12:40 pm local time
Place
Tracy, California · Paradise Strip · 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
N6708K · no longer on the register · serial 374V
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 ACFT LOST POWER DURING TAKEOFF & NOSED OVER IN A WHEAT FIELD. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE #7 CYLINDER HEAD WAS CRACKED FROM THE REAR SPARK PLUG HOLE, 3/4 OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE AROUND THE EXHAUST VALVE.

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; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 2,846 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: ctr

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 2,581 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 17, 1984; 70 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 6,075 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: P&W R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 27, 1,800 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: dawn
  • Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
  • Visibility: 20 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
  • Observation at 12:59 pm from SCK, 11 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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 N6708K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

1990-04-19LAX90DUG05 · accident near Blythe, CA · destroyed · fatal
1983-09-30LAX83LA464 · accident near Tracy, CA · substantial damage · no injuries

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.