CEN13LA533

Factual narrative

On September 6, 2013, about 1525 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164A, N7843, impacted trees and a bean field 2-1/2 miles west of Atlantic, Iowa. The pilot, the sole occupant on board, sustained minor injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post-impact fire. The airplane was registered to and operated by Shenandoah Flight Service, Inc., Atlantic, Iowa, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Atlantic, Iowa, about 1510. The pilot said he had no difficulty taking off into a strong headwind but upon reaching 500 feet and turning north towards the field to be sprayed, the airplane began to slowly lose altitude. Believing he would be unable to clear an approaching tree line, he opened the leveler and the product slowly began to dump. As he pulled up to avoid the trees, the airplane stalled, hit the trees, and impacted a bean field. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who went on-scene, the pilot was flying south and spraying the field. He pulled up but did not clear the trees and stalled. The airplane broke several tree limbs and crashed in a field to the south. The inspector said the ambient air temperature was in excess of 90 degrees F. The airplane had several modifications incorporated to increase its gross weight to 6,000 pounds, such as adding 20 inches to each wing tip. The FAA inspector said the latter was an authorized modification. The pilot said that prior to takeoff, the airplane was fueled to capacity (400 gallons, or 2,400 pounds), and the hopper was filled with 1,200 pounds of rye, radish, and turnip seed. He said the airplane weighed 5,134 pounds at takeoff, or 866 pounds below maximum gross takeoff weight. According to NTSB documents, the pilot was involved in another aircraft accident four months earlier. On May 7, 2013, while spraying a field a wheat field near Lyons, Kansas, the airplane, a Cessna A188B, N731JF, lost engine power. The right wing struck the ground and was almost completely severed from the fuselage. The pilot reported that the airplane was fueled to capacity (400 gallons) and that the hopper contained 1,200 pounds of seed. The airplane weighed 5,134 pounds at takeoff, or 866 pounds below maximum gross takeoff weight. The pilot said that he had no difficulty taking off, but after reaching 500 feet and turning north toward the field to be sprayed, the airplane began to slowly lose altitude. Believing he would be unable to clear an approaching tree line, he opened the leveler and the seed slowly began to dump. As he pulled up to avoid the trees, the airplane stalled, hit the trees, and impacted a bean field. As the ambient air temperature was in excess of 90 degrees F, the airplane's performance would have been reduced by the high density altitude. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Climb rate-Capability exceeded - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-High density altitude-Contributed to outcome