Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Tulare, California 93274
Wednesday, July 1, 1992 10:10 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT APCH THE ACDNT SITE AT LOW ALT TRAILING A HVY VOLUME OF SPRAY OR SMOKE. THE ACFT SUDDENLY ALTERED COURSE, AND THE PLT SEEMED TO BE TURNING TO LND ON A ROAD. SOME WITNESSES SAID THEY SAW FLAMES COMING FM THE ENG COMPARTMENT AREA; OTRS SAID THE ENG 'BURST INTO FLAMES' WHILE THE ACFT WAS AIRBORNE. AS THE ACFT TURNED TWD THE ROAD, IT COLLIDED WITH PWR LINES & CRASHED. A POST-CRASH FIRE CONSUMED THE ACFT. AN EXAM OF THE ENG, WHICH SEPD FM THE FUSELAGE DRG IMPACT, REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A FIRE. ALL HOSES WERE NOTED TO BE INTACT. THE WOODEN HOPPER DOOR HAD SEPD FM THE FUSELAGE & IT WAS FND ALONG THE FLT PATH. IT WAS FND HEAVILY CHARRED ON THE INTERIOR SIDE WITH NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE ON THE EXTERIOR SIDE. RECORDS SHOWED THE ACFT HAD BEEN LOADED WITH POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE AFTER SULFUR HAD BEEN HAULED ON A PREVIOUS FLT. CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER RPRTD THAT POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE WAS AN OXIDIZER, WHICH WAS REACTIVE WITH EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS OF SULFUR.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
AN INFLIGHT HOPPER COMPARTMENT FIRE DUE TO THE INCOMPATIBILITY OF THE CHEMICAL LOADS, AND, THE FAILURE OF THE OPERATOR FOLLOW THE CAUTIONARY DIRECTIVES OF THE CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/1/1992 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1010 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | TULARE |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 93274 |
| Event Date Year | 1992 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| 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 | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 30 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 21 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 330 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 3 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2134 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 1 1992 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1305 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 46924 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 3:05PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8636H |
| NTSB Number | LAX92LA274 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 137: Agricultural |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground and In-flight |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | GRUMMAN |
| Aircraft Model | G-164A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | G-164A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1440 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 4500 |
| 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 | Feb 18 1992 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 50 |
| Airframe Hours | 5595 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | SAN JOAQUIN HELICOPTERS |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | RT 1, BOX 422 |
| Aircraft Owner City | DELANO |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 93215 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | SAN JOAQUIN HELICOPTERS |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | RT 1, BOX 422 |
| Operator City | DELANO |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 93215 |
| Operator Code | CUFG |
| 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 | DLO |
| Departure City | DELANO |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 945 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | DLO |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| 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 | -- |