TRACY, CA, USA
N7442
Grumman G-164A
The pilot was spraying a field when the upper left wing struck a telephone line, which was strung under a set of power lines. The aircraft tumbled to the ground and caught fire on impact, coming to rest about 300 feet from where the wires were hit. Two leading edge pieces from the upper left wing were torn from the aircraft and found approximately 60 feet from where the wires were hit. The pilot's son reported that his father knew the telephone line was strung on the west side of the field, but stated that his father just forgot that the telephone line and cable were strung below the power lines. No preimpact mechanical failures were found during an examination of the wreckage.
On July 22, 1998, at 1030 hours Pacific daylight time, a Grumman G-164A, N7442, impacted a series of telephone wires near Tracy, California, while applying chemicals to a field. The aircraft was destroyed in the subsequent ground impact sequence and postcrash fire. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The aircraft was being operated as a 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector from the Oakland Flight Standards District Office examined the aircraft at the accident site and reported that he established flight control continuity. He further reported that the pilot was executing his final run, dusting the last corner of the field. The aircraft proceeded straight and level, flying in a westerly direction, under the power lines. The upper left wing struck the telephone line which was strung under the power lines. A ground witness reported that he heard a "snap" and saw the airplane tumbling to the ground. The aircraft came to rest in an adjacent field facing east, approximately 300 feet from where the wires were hit. The aircraft was engulfed in flames and was subsequently destroyed. Two leading edge pieces from the upper left wing were torn from the aircraft and found approximately 60 feet from the wire contact point. In his written statement, the pilot's son, who is also the manager of the firm, reported that his father knew the telephone line was strung on the west side of the field, but stated that his father just forgot that the telephone line and cable were strung below the power lines.
The failure of the pilot to maintain an adequate clearance with the telephone wires.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
