Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A accident near Madera, California, April 23, 2010
On April 23, 2010 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A, registered N4450, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Madera, California. It was a positioning 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
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2010 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Madera, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164A · all G-164As on the register
- Registration
- N4450 · registry record · serial 1048
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was ferrying the newly-purchased agricultural airplane to his home airport. Approximately 1 hour since fueling, the engine lost power. Despite the pilot's attempts to restart the engine, he was forced to land the airplane in an agricultural field. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have resulted in a loss of engine power.
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 engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,932 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 11,835 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 24, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 2010; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,020 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT-6 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1O3 Lodi CA at 6:20 pm
- Destination: FCH Fresno CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from KMAE, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on February 11, 2011. 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 |
| 2 | FAA Accident Site Map | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | TSB Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | NTSB Photographs (2 Embedded Photos) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4450 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164 325 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer 325 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT-6 12 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lodi Airport · departed from
- Fresno Chandler Executive · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,134 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR10LA214.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.