Schweizer Aircraft CORP G-164B accident near Marysville, California, June 21, 2011
On June 21, 2011 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Schweizer Aircraft CORP G-164B, registered N3627G, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Marysville, California (Yuba County airport). 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
The separation of the right main landing gear during takeoff, due to fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 2011 · about 5:35 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Marysville, California · Yuba County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer Aircraft CORP G-164B · all G-164Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3627G · registry record · serial 729 B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll of the aerial application flight, the right main landing gear separated from the airplane's fuselage. The pilot continued the takeoff from the dirt airstrip, and elected to land at a local airport. During the landing roll, the airplane departed the runway sustaining substantial damage to the lower left wing. Examination of the right main landing gear spring leg revealed that the outboard segment had separated from the airplane at its root, adjacent to the airframe support structure. The fracture surfaces indicated a fatigue failure emanating from an area of corrosion on the lower surface of the spring.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during takeoff defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 10,000 in this make and model; 13,975 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 6, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,509 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 2011; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sutter Butte Dusters INC
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Gridley CA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: MYV Marysville CA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 32, 6,006 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MYV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on October 4, 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 | Materials Laboratory 15 - Factual Report 11-086 (3 Images) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1: Forward View of Airplane | PDF, 1 page | 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 N3627G 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
- N3627G on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer Aircraft Corp G-164 64 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6A 2,218 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Yuba County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,761 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3627G 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/WPR11LA273.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.