Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Muskegon, Michigan 49441
Thursday, June 2, 1994 6:10 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT HAD COMPLETED ONE PASS OVER A FIELD AND WAS MAKING A CLIMBING TURN IN PREPARATION FOR A SECOND SWATH RUN. DURING THE CLIMBING TURN THE PILOT REPORTED THE ENGINE QUIT WITH A LOUD BANG WHILE OVER A LAKE NEXT TO THE AREA BEING SPRAYED. THE PILOT SAID HE TURNED TOWARD SHORE AND RAPIDLY DECELERATED. HE SAID HE PITCHED THE AIRPLANE DOWN TO KEEP IT FROM STALLING. THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE UNTIL REACHING AN ALTITUDE AT WHICH THE PILOT FLARED THE AIRPLANE FOR LANDING. AFTER LANDING IN THE WATER THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER AND SANK. THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE TURBOPROP ENGINE'S COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAD RUPTURED AND THAT IT DID NOT HAVE A NEGATIVE TORQUE SENSING SYSTEM THAT WOULD ALLOW THE PROPELLER TO FEATHER WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A MANUAL PROPELLER FEATHERING SYSTEM.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PROPELLER NOT BEING ABLE TO BE FEATHERED BY THE PILOT, INADEQUATE ALTITUDE FOR A SUCCESSFUL FORCED LANDING, AND THE FAILURE OF THE COMBUSTION SECTION. A FACTOR ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE STALL/MUSH ENCOUNTERED BY THE PILOT DUE TO THE WINDMILLING PROPELLER'S DISC DRAG AND RAPID DECELERATION OF THE AIRPLANE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/2/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 610 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | MUSKEGON |
| Event State | MICHIGAN |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 49441 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 620 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 320 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | MKG |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 628 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 5 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 30000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 12 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 7 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -2 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 10 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | FAA |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1179 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 2 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 621 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 11:27AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8939H |
| NTSB Number | CHI94DEM01 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 137: Agricultural |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | GRUMMAN |
| Aircraft Model | G-164A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | G-164A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1575 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 10 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 20 |
| Airframe Hours | 4500 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | MAURICE'S FLYING SERVICE, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 9081 W. CUTLER RD. |
| Aircraft Owner City | LAKEVIEW |
| Aircraft Owner State | MI |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 48850 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | MAURICE'S FLYING SERVICE |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 9081 W. CUTLER ROAD |
| Operator City | LAKEVIEW |
| Operator State | MI |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 48850 |
| Operator Code | MCEG |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Agriculture |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Unknown |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Unknown |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Unknown |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Aerial Application |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | 13C |
| Departure City | LAKEVILLE |
| Departure State | MI |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 540 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |