- Date
- July 20, 2026, 13:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Bulverde, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N454MDPiper PA-28-180
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260720013009A
- Case key
- 203440
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 July 20, 2026, about 1340 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N454MD was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Bulberde, Texas. The flight instructor and student pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight. The flight instructor reported that they had been performing takeoff and landing practice and had accomplished three successful takeoffs and landings. On the forth takeoff, when the airplane was 50 to 60 ft above the ground, the engine stopped producing power. A forced landing was executed, during which, the airplane struck trees and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage surfaces. The airplane has been retained 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
- N454MD
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-3125
- Built
- 1966
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- 1T8 · Bulverde Airpark, runway 17/35, 2,783 × 40 ft, asphalt
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) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAT, 12 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSAT 201751Z 17006KT 10SM FEW250 32/21 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP132 T03170206 10322 20239 58013
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.