Schweizer Aircraft CORP 164B accident near Murtaugh, Idaho, September 2, 2010
On September 2, 2010 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Schweizer Aircraft CORP 164B, registered N7502Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Murtaugh, Idaho (Murtaugh Strip airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate compensation for the wind and failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 2010 · about 3:30 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Murtaugh, Idaho · Murtaugh Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer Aircraft CORP 164B
- Registration
- N7502Y · registry record · serial 821B
- 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 reported that during landing he noticed the wind intensity was increasing at the private airstrip. He departed again for his fifth aerial application flight of the day. While on the takeoff, as the tail was lifting off the ground, a gust of wind struck the airplane and it veered towards the right. The airplane exited the runway surface and struck a power pole, substantially damaging the wings, fuselage and empennage. The nearest weather reporting station, located about 13 miles from the accident airstrip, reported wind at 13 knots gusting to 19 knots. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,063 hours in all; 2,837 in this make and model; 367 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 17,912 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 16, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,036 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 2010; 388 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,630 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-1-151A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N/A Murtaugh ID at 3:20 pm
- Destination: N/A Murtaugh ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,800 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 13 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from TWF, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on September 28, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N7502Y 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
- N7502Y on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-1-151A 7 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 4,199 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N7502Y 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/WPR10CA444.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.