Grumman G164B accident near Memphis, Missouri, October 30, 1986
On October 30, 1986 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Grumman G164B, registered N6608Q, was destroyed in an accident near Memphis, Missouri. 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
- October 30, 1986 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Missouri · 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
- N6608Q · registry record · serial 135B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AERIAL APPLICATION ACFT WAS EN ROUTE TO SEED A WHEAT FIELD WHEN SMOKE CAME INTO THE COCKPIT. THE PLT MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON A BLACKTOP ROAD. THE ROAD WAS THE BEST AVAILABLE, BUT WAS NOT ADEQUATE AND ACFT FLIPPED FORWARD TO THE INVERTED POSITION. POST-ACCIDENT INSPECTION INDICATED POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE SHORTED AGAINST METAL BATTERY CASE. THE CABLE BURNED AND BATTERY CASE AND BATTERY MELTED.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,443 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 17, 1986; 360 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.