Grumman-Schweizer G-164B accident near Fort Gains, Georgia, December 1, 1998
On December 1, 1998 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Grumman-Schweizer G-164B, registered N6630Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Gains, Georgia (Fort Gains 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
a power loss due to internal damage to the second- and third- stage turbine rotor blades, due to thermal heat, rendering the engine incapable of producing full power, resulting in a forced landing, and subsequent impact with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 1998 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Gains, Georgia · Fort Gains
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman-Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N6630Q · registry record · serial 154B
- 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 flight was loaded with fertilizer and had taken off, when the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing, and the airplane's landing gear went into a ditch and separated. The pilot had made 3 previous takeoffs under similar load conditions without incident. The pilot said, 'initially during the takeoff roll the aircraft accelerated normally.' However, immediately after breaking ground, during the initial climbout, the engine began to loose power, and the aircraft began to loose lift. The airplane continued to sink with partial power until impact. Examination of the engine revealed no exterior damage. The engine teardown revealed that improper atomization of the fuel resulted in a non-atomized fuel stream at the first-stage turbine rotor. The subsequent atomization and ignition of this fuel resulted in a localized area of increased temperature and non-uniform thermal damage to the second- and third-stage turbine stators. The localized area of increased temperature resulted in thermal damage to the second- and third-stage turbine rotors, and increased second- and third-stage turbine rotor blade tip clearance, rendering the engine incapable of producing full power. There was no evidence that the engine control system components contributed to the loss of engine power reported during the accident flight.
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: 11,000 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,055 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 18, 1998; 316 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,075 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-6-252M (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Thrash Aviation INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 1,700 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.