Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate ground clearance altitude while applying chemicals to a rice field.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On August 3, 1998, at 1030 hours Pacific daylight time, a Grumman G-164A, N8388, collided with a rice paddy while applying chemicals near Nelson, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by Williams AG Service of Biggs, California, and was on a local area aerial application flight under 14 CFR Part 137 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The aircraft was destroyed in the ground collision sequence. The commercial pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Biggs airport on the day of the accident at 1000.
In the pilot's written statement to the Safety Board, he reported that he had to fly over wires to enter the field. On his first pass over the rice field, he allowed the aircraft to get too low and was unable to pull out. The main landing gear wheels touched the water and crops, and the aircraft crashed into the rice field.
The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions prior to the accident.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX98LA255