Grumman G-164A accident near Hermiston, Oregon, April 28, 1984
On April 28, 1984 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N4897, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hermiston, Oregon. 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
- April 28, 1984 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hermiston, Oregon · 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
- N4897 · no longer on the register · serial 1094
- 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 A BEGINNING SWATH RUN, THE PLT WAS MAKING A LEFT SKIDDING TURN TO FOLLOW THE EDGE OF A CIRCULAR FIELD. HE STATED THAT THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT WHICH RAISED THE RIGHT WING. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT WING CONTACTED THE GROUND & THE ACFT CRASHED.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,177 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 9,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,769 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 19, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 3,160 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5S7 Hermiston OR at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from AWL, 55 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 N4897 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.