Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G 164B N6672Q accident near Arrey, New Mexico

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a hillside during an agricultural application flight while facing the sun.

NTSB analysis

The commercial pilot reported that he completed four agricultural application loads "just fine." However, after the fourth application, he turned the airplane to conduct a clean-up pass of the field, and subsequently, the airplane impacted the east side of a hill. The pilot stated that he did not remember what happened nor why it happened.

Another pilot who had previously sprayed the accident field reported that, when flying east/west in the morning, the east-facing swath was into the sun and toward rapidly rising terrain. At the time of the accident, clear skies and light winds were present, and the sun was in the east. Given this information and that the operator reported that there was no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, the pilot likely failed to maintain clearance from rising terrain while facing the sun during the low-level flight.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN18LA226 for the full record.