BRUNDIDGE, AL, USA
N48584
GRUMMAN G164A
AFTER COMPLETING AN AERIAL APPLICATION SPRAY RUN, THE FLIGHT WAS EN ROUTE TO THE BASE FIELD. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT A PUFF OF BLACK SMOKE WAS EMITTED FROM THE EXHAUST, AND THE ENGINE QUIT. DENSE WOODS WERE BENEATH THE AIRPLANE, SO IT WAS FORCE LANDED IN THE TREES. THE EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT TWO RIVETS WHICH FASTENED THE CARBURETOR ACCELERETOR PUMP PISTON WERE BROKEN. THEY WERE FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR FLOAT CHAMBER WITH ONE OF THE RIVETS NEAR THE NEEDLE AND SEAT. THE ENGINE PROBABLY QUIT WHEN A RIVET LODGED UNDER THE NEEDLE AND ALLOWED THE CARBURETOR TO FLOOD WITH FUEL.
On June 25, 1993, at about 0845 central daylight time, a Grumman G164A, N48584, collided with trees and the ground, following a loss of engine power, during cruise flight near Brundidge, Alabama. The airplane was operated by Brundidge Spray Service under 14 CFR Part 91 and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. A flight plan was not filed for the aerial application flight. There were no injuries to the commercial pilot, while the airplane was substantially damaged. Origination of the flight was Brundidge, Alabama, about 40 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot reported he had completed spraying a cotton field and was returning to the airfield. He had climbed to 150 to 200 feet when the engine emitted a puff of black smoke from the exhaust, and quit. The airplane descended into and collided with the heavily wooded terrain. He also reported that the engine had been operated about 13 hours since a zero time major overhaul. The engine examination revealed that two of six rivets that fasten the carburetor accelerator pump piston had failed. Both of the rivets were found in the float chamber. One of the rivets was found near the needle and seat. A Malfunction or Defect Report submitted by an airworthiness inspector stated that the loose rivet may have caused the [carburetor] needle to stay open. Engine records revealed that the engine was overhauled on May 11, 1993. According to the operator's report of the accident, the engine had 13 hours since the overhaul. The engine records also revealed that the engine was operated on a test stand, following the overhaul, with a slave carburetor. An Accessory Inspection Record attached to the overhaul records indicated that magnetos were inspected. A carburetor was not listed.
THE BROKEN CARBURETOR ACCELERATOR PUMP PISTON RIVET WHICH LODGED UNDER THE NEEDLE VALVE, ALLOWED THE FLOAT CHAMBER TO FLOOD WITH FUEL, AND THE ENGINE TO QUIT. THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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