| Crash location | 30.090833°N, 92.416945°W |
| Nearest city | Lyons Point, LA
30.094650°N, 92.378187°W 2.3 miles away |
| Tail number | N8362K |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 11 May 2016 |
| Aircraft type | Grumman Acft Eng COR-SCHWEIZER G 164B |
| Additional details: | None |
On May 11, 2016, about 1400 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164B AgCat airplane, N8362K, made a forced landing in a field near Lyons Point, Louisiana. The commercial rated pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Vincent Flying Service, Inc., Kaplan, Louisiana, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The local flight had just departed from a private air strip.
The pilot reported that he was conducting his seventh aerial application job of the day and this particular job involved fifteen total application loads. On the accident flight he had just departed the private strip which was the seventh load and the airplane had been loaded with about 60 gallons of fuel and the hopper contained about 2,000 lbs of applicant. When the airplane was above the height of a telephone pole (50 to 75 ft) and with no prior indications, the engine experienced a total loss of power and the pilot made a forced landing to a rice field. During the landing roll, the left main landing gear broke and the airplane continued onto a farm road. After the airplane came to rest, smoke was observed from the engine compartment and fuel was leaking from the fuel tanks.
The responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that there was fuel on the ground near the breached fuel tank and there was corrosion around the fuel tank inlet cap. About 9 gallons of fuel were recovered from the fuel tanks; 7 gallons in the left tank and 2 gallons in the right tank. An examination of the fuel control filter revealed that the fuel was cloudy and contained floating debris. The paper filter was discolored and contained debris. The airframe fuel filter bowl contained a significant amount of debris including leaves, grass, insects, and dirt. The right fuel tank and associated fuel screens were clear of any debris.
A review if the airplane maintenance records revealed that an annual inspection was completed on November 1, 2015, and a 100-hour inspection was completed on February 15, 2016.
A total loss of engine power due to debris contamination of the fuel system. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.