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Accidents · NTSB MKC85LA095 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Gulfstream-Schweizer G-164B accident near Earle, Arkansas, May 6, 1985

On May 6, 1985 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Gulfstream-Schweizer G-164B, registered N8138K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Earle, Arkansas (Farm Strip 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 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
May 6, 1985 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 1985
Place
Earle, Arkansas · Farm Strip · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Gulfstream-Schweizer G-164B
Registration
N8138K · registry record · serial 581B
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

DURING TAKEOFF FROM A FARM STRIP, THE ENG LOST POWER SHORTLY AFTER LIFT-OFF. THE PLT LANDED STRAIGHT AHEAD; HOWEVER, DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A LOW, WET AREA & NOSED OVER. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED ABOUT A CUP OF WATER IN THE CARBURETOR BOWL. FUEL SAMPLES WERE NOT AVAILABLE FROM THE FUEL TANK SINCE IT HAD RUPTURED DURING THE ACCIDENT.

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: 15,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: ctr

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 1,840 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1985; 36 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0, 2,500 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
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Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MKC85LA095.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.