Grumman G164B accident near Reubens, Idaho, March 20, 1987
On March 20, 1987, a Grumman G164B, registered N6798Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reubens, Idaho (Star Mill airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- March 20, 1987 · cases in 1987
- Place
- Reubens, Idaho · Star Mill · 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
- N6798Q · registry record · serial 310B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF RUN THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY, STRUCK A DITCH, AND THEN NOSED OVER INVERTED. THE PILOT FOUND THAT THE RIGHT DOWEL PIN ON THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR HAD BROKEN. THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
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: 4,891 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 4,704 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,522 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Reubens ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N6798Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6798Q on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Grumman G-164 119 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Grumman 443 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 64 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,201 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N6798Q 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA87LA067.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.