Engine failure and forced landing accident involving a Grumman G-164B, about 2 km from Charters Towers Airport, Queensland, on 18 May 2026

What happened

On the morning of 18 March 2026, the pilot of a Grumman American Aviation Corporation G-164B conducted a private ferry flight from Emerald to Charters Towers, Queensland. 

As the aircraft was established in cruise to the south-west of the Charters Towers aerodrome at 5,000 ft AGL, the engine lost power and the pilot observed a significant RPM reduction with an associated oil pressure reduction. After trimming the aircraft for best glide speed to land at Charters Towers Airport, the pilot selected carburettor heat on and increased the throttle in an attempt to restart the engine. The engine momentarily restarted, but lost power again.

As the aircraft was descending through 2,000 ft, the pilot determined that the aircraft was losing altitude too quickly and would not be able to safely make it to the aerodrome. The pilot then manoeuvred the aircraft to approach and conduct a forced landing in an open construction area located to the north-east of Charters Towers township.

As the aircraft approached 500 ft, the pilot secured the engine and applied a sideslip technique to wash off height. During the forced landing, the aircraft struck a construction fence and came to rest inverted. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the propellor, engine and fuselage.

At the time of writing, the third party maintenance organisation had not yet determined the cause of the engine failure. 

Figure 1: Aircraft wreckage

Safety message 

This accident highlights the importance of emergency procedures training, such as engine power losses requiring a forced landing. Being familiar with the forced landing technique for the particular aircraft type allows the pilot to concentrate on the task of successfully flying the aircraft and focusing attention outside the cockpit to avoid obstacles.

About this report

Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.