Schweizer G-164B accident near Larimore, ND
On September 3, 1997, a Schweizer G-164B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Larimore, ND. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 3, 1997
- Place
- Larimore, ND
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 47.901°N, 97.621°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08805
NTSB summary
On September 3, 1997, at 1130 central daylight time, a Schweizer 164B, N8326K, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during a collision with high tension electrical wires, the ground and post-impact fire. The 14 CFR Part 137 flight was not operating on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot was seriously injured, but succumbed to chemical poisoning 8-days after the accident. The flight departed Larimore, North Dakota, exact time unknown. The accident flight was the pilot's third aerial application flight of the day. The pilot was spraying a herbicide known as Gromoxone Extra on a field of pinto beans. According to the operator, the pilot had been spraying this chemical compound on his previous flights. He said the pilot's flying routine was to make swath runs parallel to the bean rows. As the pilot neared the field's edge, he would begin a 180-degree climbing turn and make another swath run parallel to the previous one. The swath runs could overlap each other at times, according to the operator. The airplane flew about 200-yards beyond the field's end before starting its climb. As the airplane flew under the electrical power lines, it began a climb. Its top wing and engine collided with a 2-inch diameter electrical line. The airplane went out of control and fell to the ground. The airplane burned upon ground impact. The pilot removed himself from the burning wreckage and was subsequently taken to the hospital. According to an eye witness, the airplane began a climb and it "...suddenly started to spin end for e
Probable cause
the pilot delaying the swath run turnaround maneuver at the end of the field boundary, and his failure to maintain clearance between the airplane and the high tension wires. A factor was the pilot's inattentiveness regarding the time to begin the swath run turnaround maneuver.
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Browse: North Dakota · Schweizer aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
