- Date
- July 19, 1989, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Arthur, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N48377Schweizer G-164A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890719033209A
- Case key
- 22732
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. The high weeds (vegetation) & levee (dirt bank) were considered to be related factors.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot said he started the takeoff roll with 36 inches of manifold pressure, and when he was 3/4 of the way down the 1,600 foot grass strip, he looked down and found he was getting only 28 inches. He started to dump his load, and as he got to the end of the airstrip, he veered the airplane to the right. The right wing went into high weeds, and the left gear impacted a small levee. The airplane ended up inverted. No reason could be found for the loss of power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48377
- Reported as
- Schweizer G-164A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1541
- Airframe hours
- 5,601
- Engine
- P&W R-1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- La Flyers Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 25, 1989 · 421 hours before
- Airport
- Farm Strip, runway 36, 1,600 × 75 ft, dirt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 3,201 total · 2,800 in this make and model · 31,010 as pilot in command · 410 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N48377 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.