DATELAND, AZ, USA
N3629P
GRUMMAN G-164B
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHTS AT NIGHT FROM A DIRT AIRSTRIP. AFTER TAKEOFF WITH THE FOURTH LOAD, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK POWER LINES AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE STRIP. THE AIRPLANE LANDED IN A DESERT AREA AND WAS CONSUMED BY A POSTIMPACT FIRE. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT A LAYER OF DUST FROM PREVIOUS OPERATIONS INTO AND OUT OF THE AIRSTRIP OBSCURED THE POWER LINES.
On June 8, 1994, about 2130 hours mountain standard time, a Grumman G-164B, N3629P, crashed during takeoff at a private dirt airstrip, about 8 miles north of Dateland, Arizona. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) aerial application flight under Title 14 CFR Part 137 when the accident occurred. The airplane, operated by Pierce Aviation, Buckeye, Arizona, was destroyed by impact and postimpact fire. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The operator reported that the pilot was applying a liquid pesticide "Orthene" on fields adjacent to a 2,700-foot dirt airstrip. On the fourth departure, the pilot began a takeoff to the east and after lift-off struck power lines located at the end of the runway. The airplane then landed in a desert area and caught fire. The pilot indicated that a layer of dust from operations into and out of the dirt airstrip had obscured the power lines. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operations inspector, Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), reported that the pilot notified the FAA of the accident on June 15, 1994. The pilot was sent a Pilot/Operator Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1/2, by National Transportation Safety Board investigators. The report was returned with minimal information and was unsigned.
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT FOR OBSTACLES. NIGHT LIGHTING CONDITIONS AND THE DUST WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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