Schweizer G-164B-600 accident near Quincy, Washington, March 18, 1993
On March 18, 1993, a Schweizer G-164B-600, registered N7503L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Quincy, Washington. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
UNSUITABLE TERRAIN ENCOUNTERED DURING A FORCED LANDING AFTER AN ENGINE CYLINDER ASSEMBLY HAD SEPARATED. FACTORS INCLUDE A SNOWBANK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 1993
- Place
- Quincy, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B-600
- Registration
- N7503L · registry record · serial 826B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS RETURNING TO HIS AGRICULTURAL LANDING STRIP AFTER APPLYING DRY FERTILIZER ON A FIELD. ABOUT A MILE FROM THE RUNWAY, THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH. WITHIN A HALF MILE OF THE AIRPORT, THE ENGINE ROUGHNESS WORSENED TO THE POINT OF TOTAL FAILURE. THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NO LONGER MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, SO THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A FORCED LANDING IN AN ALFALFA FIELD ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED INTO A SNOWDRIFT AND NOSED OVER. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER SEVEN CYLINDER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE ENGINE CRANKCASE.
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: 7,505 hours in all; 7,200 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 7,505 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 551 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 23, 1992; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- 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.
Other NTSB records under N7503L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA93LA078.