Grumman G164B accident near Mc Gehee, Arkansas, July 9, 1984
On July 9, 1984 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Grumman G164B, registered N8222K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mc Gehee, Arkansas. 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 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
- July 9, 1984 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mc Gehee, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G164B · all G164Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8222K · registry record · serial 617B
- 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 ACFT WAS ENGAGED IN AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLT WHEN THE ENG LOST POWER. THE PLT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A BEAN FIELD. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE ACFT STRUCK A LEVEE THAT WAS OBSCURED BY HIGH VEGETATION & NOSED OVER. A POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE CARBURETOR NEEDLE VALVE SEAT WAS LOOSE & ALLOWED FUEL TO BYPASS THE VALVE & ENTER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. AN INTERVIEW WITH PERSONNEL THAT OVERHAULED THE CARBURETOR REVEALED THAT RECOMMENDED TORQUE VALVES WERE NOT BEING USED DURING INSTALLATION OF THE NEEDLE VALVE SEAT. AN INVESTIGATION ALSO REVEALED THAT PRIOR TO THIS FLT, THE ENG COULD NOT BE SHUT DOWN BY MOVING THE MIXTURE CONTROL TO THE 'CUT-OFF' POSITION. TO STOP THE ENG ON PREVIOUS FLTS, THE PLT USED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE BY MOVING IT TO THE 'OFF' POSITION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 8,634 hours in all; 4,800 in this make and model; 275 in the last 90 days; 140 in the last 30 days; 8,334 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 17, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Mc Gehee AR at 9:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:49 pm from GLH, 23 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 N8222K 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.