Grumman G-164B accident near Crows Landing, California, July 9, 1991
On July 9, 1991 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Grumman G-164B, registered N6628Q, was destroyed in an accident near Crows Landing, California (Crows Landing 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 PILOT LANDING HIS AIRPLANE ERRONEOUSLY ON THE WRONG LANDING SURFACE. FACTORS IN THIS ACCIDENT WERE: SUNGLARE AND ITS INTERFERENCE WITH THE PILOT'S VISION AND THE SOFT TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 1991 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Crows Landing, California · Crows Landing · 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
- N6628Q · registry record · serial 154B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT DUG INTO THE SOIL AND NOSED OVER. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS LANDING INTO THE MORNING SUN. HE SAID THAT HE LANDED ON WHAT LOOKED LIKE THE 'WORK STRIP', BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY LANDING ON A STRIP OF LAND WHICH WAS PARALLEL TO THE WORK STRIP. THE SOIL WAS SOFT AND UNEVEN DUE TO IT BEING RECENTLY PLOWED.
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: 9,000 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bettencourt Flying Svc., INC.
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Delhi CA at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,500 ft by 15 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N6628Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.