Rexburg, ID, USA
N657Y
Grumman G-164
After finishing his load and looking back to see where he had left off in the field, the pilot saw an irrigation pivot, which he subsequently impacted with the airplane's left wing. After both left wing panels collapsed the aircraft impacted the ground, coming to rest in an upright position. The pilot did not remember any further details of the accident, other than climbing out of the airplane. The pilot said he just made a mistake by misjudging the distance with the irrigation pivot.
On June 1, 2004, at 0834 mountain daylight time, a Grumman G-164 agricultural airplane, N657Y, sustained substantial damage after impacting an object while maneuvering near Rexburg, Idaho. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated under 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the aerial application flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The airplane departed the Rexburg-Madison airport, Rexburg, Idaho, at 0815. According to the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB form 6120.1/2), the pilot reported that after spraying off the load, "I looked over to check where I left off [and] slowly pulled back on the stick to go back for another load and saw the pivot just before impact." The pilot stated that after impacting the pivot both of the airplane's left wing panels collapsed and the airplane impacted the ground. The pilot further stated that although he did remember climbing out of the airplane, he didn't remember any further details of the accident. The pilot reported, "...[I] just misjudged my obstacles. I made a mistake." A post accident examination of the aircraft by the pilot revealed that the left wing panels sustained substantial damage, both main landing gear were separated from the airplane, and both propeller blades were bent. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and there was no post accident fire.
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from an object while maneuvering during an aerial application flight. Contributing factors were the pilot's diverted attention and the irrigation pivot.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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