Grumman-Schweizer G-164A accident near Woodeberry, Tennessee, July 13, 1997
On July 13, 1997 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Grumman-Schweizer G-164A, registered N7981, was destroyed in an accident near Woodeberry, Tennessee. 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
in-flight collision with a fence during takeoff. Factors in this accident were the pilot's inadequate pre-flight by not calculating the total weight of the airplane, and high temperatures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1997 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Woodeberry, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman-Schweizer G-164A
- Registration
- N7981 · registry record · serial 845
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was departing from a 1,500 foot grass runway, and did not accelerate. The pilot managed to get airborne, but struck a 6- to 7 foot high fence at the departure end of the runway, with the landing gear, and impacted in a field about 75 feet from the fence. The pilot stated that the 'RPM and manifold pressure was normal...the aircraft felt like it did not accelerate as fast as normal...the aircraft may have been heavy for the runway length and density altitude.'
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,100 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 9,200 as pilot in command; 960 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,350 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 20, 1997; 355 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:40 pm from MBT, 20 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.
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.