Grumman G-164B accident near Lake Charles, Louisiana, June 4, 2005
On June 4, 2005 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Grumman G-164B, registered N6832K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Charles, Louisiana (O'Brian Flying Service Airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the propeller governor which resulted in a forced landing. A contributing factor was the transmission wire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2005 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Charles, Louisiana · O'Brian Flying Service Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman G-164B · all G-164Bs on the register
- Registration
- N6832K · registry record · serial 502B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following takeoff and after initiating a left turn to return to the field being sprayed, the 19,000 hour pilot reduced propeller RPM and the 2-bladed propeller "went to the full coarse setting and lost drive." During the forced landing the airplane struck a power line and subsequently impacted terrain. Examination of the propeller governor by a repair facility revealed that the "propeller governor pilot valve had failed, causing an internal oil leak, which resulted in the failure of the propeller governor. "
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 19,000 hours in all; 10,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,200.0 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2005; 366.1 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340ANI (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: O'Brien Flying Service, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: LA71 Iowa LA at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N6832K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DFW05LA147.