Grumman G-164B accident near Okanogan, Washington, May 19, 1999
On May 19, 1999 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Grumman G-164B, registered N6861K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Okanogan, 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A malfunctioning carburetor. Factors include a downdraft, and the soft dirt in a newly plowed field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 1999 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Okanogan, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164B · all G-164Bs on the register
- Registration
- N6861K · no longer on the register · serial 506B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While maneuvering over an orchard that he was preparing to spray, the pilot flew through a sudden downdraft which pushed him up against his seat belt and shoulder straps. About two seconds later, the engine quit and could not be started. The pilot elected to attempt the forced landing in an alfalfa field that was straight ahead of him. The aircraft initially touched down in the alfalfa, but bounced back into the air and touched down a second time in an area that had been freshly plowed. The main gear sank into the soft dirt and the aircraft nosed over. During the post-accident engine inspection, the engine would not start until the carburetor had been struck a couple of time with a hammer. After the carburetor was jarred by the hammer, the engine started and was able to be test run. Disassembly of the carburetor did not reveal whether the float had stuck, an orifice had been temporarily blocked, or whether there had been some other malfunction.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,043 hours in all; 1,071 in this make and model; 166 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 2,961 as pilot in command; 476 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,054 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 26, 1999; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Okanogan WA at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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 N6861K 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.