Schweizer Aircraft CORP G-164B accident near Clarksdale, Mississippi, August 26, 2008
On August 26, 2008 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Schweizer Aircraft CORP G-164B, registered N3633S, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Clarksdale, Mississippi (Fletcher Field 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 mechanic’s failure to torque check the axle-to-spring gear attachment bolts per the manufacturer's Annual/100-Hour Airframe Inspection Checklist, resulting in fatigue failure of the bolts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2008 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksdale, Mississippi · Fletcher Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer Aircraft CORP G-164B · all G-164Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3633S · registry record · serial 778B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While applying the left brake during taxi after landing, the pilot first heard a "loud pop from the left gear" and during further brake application, the left axle and wheel assembly separated. Two MS20008H22 bolts and one AN509-616-35 screw that secure the axle to the spring leg were fractured. The failure mode of the bolts was due to fatigue, and was typical of bolts that are insufficiently torqued. The mechanic who last inspected the airplane used his own checklist and did not torque check the bolts and screw, which is required by the manufacturer's Annual/100-Hour Airframe Inspection Checklist.
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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during taxi (from runway) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during taxi (from runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › (general) › Maintenance personnel
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 10,557 hours in all; 930 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 10,498 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 29, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,282 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 2008; 337 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-27/28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKM Clarksdale MS at 5:43 pm
- Destination: CKM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,200 ft; scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from UTA, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N3633S 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.