- Date
- September 22, 1988, 14:38 local (19:38 UTC)
- Place
- Kerrville, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3621KPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 17545
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The commercial plt was 6 miles from his ranch and noted smoke in the cockpit, accompanied by a rough running engine. He turned back to the ranch for a forced landing. He overflew the landing area, decided he was too high for landing and turned for another approach. Engine performance was deteriorating, and the second approach was too low. The plt stalled the acft just prior to impact with a tree on the approach path. The acft came to rest 20 yards short of the landing strip. The plt saw flames from the engine area and exited the plane. He attempted to extinguish the fire with dirt, to no avail. A post accident inspection by an FAA investigator revealed evidence that the exhaust muffler had split.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3621K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-23657
- Airframe hours
- 3,200
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hugo D. Mcbee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SSF · San Antonio, TX
- Destination
- SSF
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.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 695 total · 610 in this make and model · 695 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg