Amateur-built G-164 accident near Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, August 4, 2005
On August 4, 2005 at about 11:20 am local time, a amateur-built G-164, registered N460Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent encounter with a downdraft in mountainous terrain resulting in an uncontrolled descent and collision with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2005 · about 11:20 am local time
- Place
- Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built G-164
- Registration
- N460Y · registry record · serial 151
- 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 pilot stated that he departed from the Lajas Agriculture Airport at about 7 am in his Grumman G-164 with a northeast heading. On board the airplane was a load of mircoflex fertilizer, which was to be sprayed on a private farm in Sabana Grande. His first swift run over the farm was successful but as he begun his first procedure turn, he experienced a strong downdraft on the leeward side of the mountain. Unable to recover from the downdraft, the airplane lost altitude and crashed into a backyard of a private home. Neither he nor anyone on the ground was hurt and the private home sustained little damage. He further added the weather was for a visual flight rules operation; with the winds from the north and the temperature was 30 degrees Celsius. The pilot stated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.The FAA inspector who responded to the accident stated the airplane impacted the ground straight down in a flat attitude and with no forward direction.
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: 13,000 hours in all; 10,000 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755-A2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ponce Crop Dusting Services
The flight
- Departed from: Lajas PR at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 am from TJPS
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.