# Accident 19961217039539A: Cessna A188, La Porte, TX, December 17, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 17, 1996, 13:15 local time
- Place: La Porte, TX
- Airport: La Porte Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.6605° N, 95.0396° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.6605&lon=-95.0396&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9860V, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9860V-2000-03-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna A188 (registry code 2073004, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a188) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA A188
- Reported engine: CONT IO520D
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,196 total, 10 in this make and model, 25 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA065](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA065) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961217039539A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

BANNER TOW FLIGHT. LANDING LOST POWER. DROPPED BANNER. NO RESTART. LANDED OFF AIRPORT. HIT TREES. CAUSE UNKNOWN. (-23) PILOT STATED: DURING THE RETURN FLIGHT TO LA PORTE, TX (T41) WHILE TOWING A BANNER. HIS ENGINE STARTED LOSING POWER AND SURGING. AFTER DETERMINING HE COULD NOT REACH THE AIRPORT HE DROPPED THE BANNER AND ATTEMPTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING, INTO A FIELD, APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. ON ROLL OUT THE AIRCRAFT HIT SMALL TREES, DAMAGING THE ENGINE COWL, WINGS, STABILIZER, LEADING EDGES AND BREAKING THE RIGHT REAR WING SPAR AT THE ATTACHMENT POINT.                                                                  (.19) ON DECEMBER 17, 1996, AT 1315 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA A188, N9860V, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING NEAR LA PORTE, TEXAS. THE AIRPLANE, OWNED AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE OWNER, WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE BUSINESS FLIGHT, FOR WHICH A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED FROM THE LA PORT MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AT 1130 ON A LOCAL BANNER                                     TOWING FLIGHT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS EN ROUTE TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT TO DROP OFF THE BANNER WHEN "THE ENGINE STARTED TO RUN ROUGH, COUGHED AND LOST POWER." THE PILOT ELECTED TO EXECUTE A FORCED LANDING TO AN OPEN FIELD, APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE AIRPLANE WENT THROUGH A FENCE LINE. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE BY AN FAA INSPECTOR REVEALED THAT THE REAR SPAR ON THE RIGHT WING WAS BENT, THE LEFT FLAP WAS TORN, THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILATOR SUSTAINED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE, AND BOTH WING TIPS WERE DAMAGED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97LA065](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA065), Dec 17, 1996: Cessna A188 (N9860V), La Porte, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s). A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

## Other reports on N9860V (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19880815033019I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19880815033019I), Aug 15, 1988: Cessna A188 (N9860V), Stockton, CA, Minor damage. Pilot made a hard landing and sheared off right gear. Physical out of date.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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