Grumman G-164A accident near Hebron, Nebraska, August 19, 1988
On August 19, 1988 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N5329, was destroyed in an accident near Hebron, Nebraska (Hebron 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1988 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hebron, Nebraska · Hebron · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164A · all G-164As on the register
- Registration
- N5329 · no longer on the register · serial 608
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE MAKING A AERIAL APPLICATION SWATH RUN, THE PILOT WAS CHECKING HIS SPRAY BOOMS BECAUSE OF SOME MALFUNCTIONING NOZZLES. EXITING THE FIELD BETWEEN TWO GROUPS OF TREES ON THE BORDER HE FAILED TO SEE POWER LINE POLES. HE STRUCK THE WIRES, THEN THE TERRAIN, ROLLED SEVERAL TIMES, THEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE.
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: 5,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Davenport Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HJH Hebron NE at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,900 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.