Grumman G164 accident near Oak Ridge, Louisiana, May 27, 2011
On May 27, 2011 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Grumman G164, registered N2LU, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Oak Ridge, Louisiana (John H Hooks Jr Memorial airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 2011 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Oak Ridge, Louisiana · John H Hooks Jr Memorial · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G164 A · all G164s on the register
- Registration
- N2LU · registry record · serial 595B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was demonstrating agricultural, low-altitude operations to the pilot. The instructor reported that he noticed a loss of engine power when making a turn; the airplane then descended and impacted the tops of several trees. The airplane fell nose first through the thick wooded canopy, coming to rest in the trees in a mostly nose-down attitude. The pilot reported that the instructor had been flying the airplane slowly while in wingover turns and that the stall light would regularly flicker on and off during the climbing turns. He added that the instructor did not increase the engine power setting before impact and that the airspeed was low immediately before the airplane impacted the trees. The instructor did not report using carburetor heat during his low-altitude operations but did report that he was operating at a reduced power setting. An examination of the airplane showed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Although a carburetor icing probability chart indicated that an airplane operating in the ambient conditions at the time of the accident could expect a risk of carburetor icing while at cruise power and a serious risk of carburetor icing while at glide power, it is more likely that the airplane entered into an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for the pilot to recover based on the account given by the pilot.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Evacuation during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the engine
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 820 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 745 as pilot in command; 175 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 18, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 240 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 82 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 28, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,750 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 2011; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,075 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Barham Brothers INC
The flight
- Departed from: M79 Rayville LA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: M79 Rayville LA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 7:35 pm from KBQP, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on December 18, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Crewmember Statement from Certified Flight Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Crewmember Statement from Second Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Conversation with Operator | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Map | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Weather Summary | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Photo - View of Wreckage at the Impact Location (Operator's Photo) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | G-164A Pilot's Handbook | PDF, 43 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N2LU the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2LU on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Grumman G-164 119 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Grumman 443 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W R-985 1,593 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- John H Hooks JR Memorial · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Louisiana 1,274 since 1982 · 189 in the last ten years
- Louisiana 3,729 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2LU 3 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11LA396.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.