- Date
- May 16, 2026, 00:10 local (05:10 UTC)
- Place
- Forney, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7NLDowner 14-19-3
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel related
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards
- Case key
- 203010
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Preliminary report
What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.
On May 16, 2026, about 0010 central daylight time, a Downer 14-19-3 airplane, N7NL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Forney, Texas. The pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries. A second passenger initially survived the accident but died 13 days later from injuries sustained in the accident. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The pilot was diverting to an alternate airport due to gusty wind conditions when the engine began to run rough. The pilot could not maintain altitude and ultimately executed a forced landing in an open construction area. The airplane nosed over during the landing. The airplane sustained damage to the fuselage, both wings, empennage, and firewall forward resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The airplane was recovered for further examination.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7NL
- Reported as
- Downer 14-19-3 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4206
- Built
- 1960
- Airframe hours
- 1,541
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 13, 2025 · 151 hours before
- Departed
- KDUA · Durant, OK
- Destination
- F46 · Rockwall, TX
- Equipment
- ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 150° at 11 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- KHQZ, 7 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KHQZ 162350Z 15011G26KT 10SM CLR 30/17 A2980=