Gates Learjet 36A accident near Monroe, Louisiana, January 8, 1988
On January 8, 1988 at about 11:19 am local time, a Gates Learjet 36A, registered N79SF, was destroyed in an accident near Monroe, Louisiana (Monroe Reg. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1988 · about 11:19 am local time
- Place
- Monroe, Louisiana · Monroe Reg.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gates Learjet 36A
- Registration
- N79SF · registry record · serial 041
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CREW WAS EXECUTING THE ILS APPROACH AND HAD TURNED BACK INBOUND ON THE PROCEDURE TURN TO THE OUTER MARKER WHEN THE CO-PILOT STATED THEY WERE 5.9 DME IN A CALM VOICE WITH NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM. IMPACT WITH THE GROUND OCCURRED AT ABOUT 5.9 DME, APPROXIMATELY 10 STATUTE MILES FROM THE AIRPORT, WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A SLIGHT NOSEUP, SLIGHT RIGHT WING DOWN ATTITUDE, WITH A HIGH VERTICAL RATE OF DESCENT, AND A HIGH FORWARD SPEED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DEMOLISHED. NO EVIDENCE OF A PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT OR ITS SYSTEMS COULD BE FOUND. THE COPILOT WAS NOT RATED IN THE AIRCRAFT AND HAD LOGGED A TOTAL OF 7.9 HOURS OF JET TIME IN HIS PERSONAL LOGBOOK.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,355 hours in all; 528 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,039 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 26, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 18,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TFE-731-2-2B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Phoenix Air
The flight
- Departed from: MEM Memphis TN at 10:32 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 7,507 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 am from MLU, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.