Gulfstream-Schweizer G-164B accident near Lecompte, Louisiana, November 24, 1997
On November 24, 1997 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Gulfstream-Schweizer G-164B, registered N2LU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lecompte, Louisiana. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loose battery cover, due to improper installation by maintenance personnel, that became jammed with an elevator control rod and restricted the movement of the elevator control system, which subsequently led to an uncontrolled impact with a tree, shortly after lift-off.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1997 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lecompte, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream-Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N2LU · registry record · serial 595
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the initial climb, at about 50 to 75 feet AGL, the instructor noticed that the airspeed was decaying, and he recalled telling the student several times to push forward on the controls. As the aircraft began to descend, the instructor took control of the airplane, and attempted to push forward on the controls, but the controls would not move forward. Subsequently, the airplane crossed over a power line, impacted a pecan tree, and came to rest on the right wing in an upright position. During wreckage examination, all flight controls responded and moved the flight control surfaces through their respective full operating ranges. A battery cover was found laying free beside the elevator control push tube. There were several rub marks on the end of the push tube at the 'thru' bolt end. Also, the battery cover had two small indentations on it, and the battery appeared to be new. No attachment bolts that would have been needed to secure the cover to the battery were found. An annual inspection had just been completed on the aircraft 4 days before, and total time since the annual inspection was 5 hours.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,753 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 1997; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LA22 at 9:59 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from AEX, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N2LU the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.