- Date
- December 18, 1986, 06:21 local (12:21 UTC)
- Place
- Tomball, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8CDCessna 340A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 22224
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The pilot took off in fog and light rain and climbed into clouds at about 300-400 feet above the ground while both landing lights were extended and illuminated. Also the airport's rotating beacon (located aobut a mile from the accident site) was flashing on the clouds according to a ground witness. Just after entering the clouds the pilot was issued a left turn from his present heading of 350 degrees to a heading of 270 degrees and told to contact departure control. He did not make this contact and he continued the left turn (now descending) to a heading of 210 degrees at which time the aircraft collided with trees and a large electrical transmission line and then the ground. The engines were operating at a high power setting at the time of impact. All broken flight control cables revealed evidence of overstress separation. No evidence of preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction was found.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8CD
- Reported as
- Cessna 340A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 340A0727
- Airframe hours
- 2,070
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-NB, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Decks Of Houston, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 19, 1986 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- DWH · Tomball, TX
- Destination
- RVS · Tulsa, OK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DWH · David Wayne Hooks Mem.
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,450 total · 200 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 60° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DWH, 1 nm away