Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during a low-altitude maneuver.
NTSB analysis
Witnesses saw the airplane make a low pass across a field, then make a hard banking turn back toward the field, and subsequently impact the ground. Impact damage indicated that the airplane struck the field in a nose-down, wings-level attitude consistent with a loss of control. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12LA220 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- May 21, 2012
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Nicolaus, California
- Highest injury
- Fatal
- Fatal injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Grumman G 164D
- N-number
- N8267K
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1980
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 137 (agricultural)
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial application
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.