Schweizer G-164B accident near Ormond Beach, Florida, October 27, 1983
On October 27, 1983 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Schweizer G-164B, registered N8459K, was destroyed in an accident near Ormond Beach, Florida (Ormond Beach airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- October 27, 1983 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Ormond Beach, Florida · Ormond Beach
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N8459K · no longer on the register · serial 701B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT IS A TWIN-ENGINE CONVERSION OF THE GRUMMAN G-164B. THE PLT WAS ON A LOCAL TEST FLT WITH THE HOPPER FILLED WITH WATER TO SIMULATE FLT CONDITIONS NEAR THE OPERATING GROSS WEIGHT OF THE ACFT. AFTER LIFT-OFF A PARTIAL POWER LOSS WAS EXPERIENCED ON THE #2 ENG. THE PLT EXECUTED A LEFT TURN & BEGAN DUMPING THE LOAD, AT WHICH TIME THE #1 ENG ALSO EXPERIENCE A POWER LOSS. THE ACFT STALLED, BUT THE PLT WAS ABLE TO REGAIN A LEVEL ATTITUDE BEFORE IMPACT. THE ACFT INCORPORATED A COMMON FUEL & FUEL VENT SYSTEM FOR BOTH ENGS, BUT EACH ENG HAD A FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE, FUEL FILTER & FUEL PUMP. EXAMINATION SHOWED A PARTIAL RESTRICTION IN THE FUEL VENT SYSTEM WHEN THE VENT LINE WAS DISCONNECTED. DUE TO IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE FUEL VENT SYSTEM, THE PRECISE NATURE OF THE RESTRICTION THAT WAS FOUND WHEN THE FUEL VENT LINE WAS DISCONNECTED COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE PLT LATER RECOMMENDED, HOWEVER, INSTALLATION OF AN AIR PRESSURE OPERATED VANE ON THE FUEL VENT OPENINGS.
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: 2,298 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 2,090 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 103 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,075 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:10 pm from DAB, 8 miles away
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 N8459K 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.