Schweizer G-164B accident near Simmesport, Louisiana, August 20, 2002
On August 20, 2002 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Schweizer G-164B, registered N991QC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Simmesport, Louisiana (None 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the contamination of the fuel system with water and a foreign material.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2002 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Simmesport, Louisiana · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N991QC · registry record · serial 739B
- 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 pilot reported that prior to takeoff, he fueled the airplane from a main fuel tank located at the airstrip. While he fueled the airplane, the main fuel tank was being filled by the local distributor. After the airplane's fuel tanks were full of fuel, the pilot departed the airstrip. During the initial takeoff climb, the engine lost total power, and did not restart. The pilot executed a forced landing to a corn field. An FAA inspector reported that the fuel found in the airplane's fuel tanks was contaminated with "water and sludge."
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: 1,370 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 1,333 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 5, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,311 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 12, 2002; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,020 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-15 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Simmesport LA at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.