- Date
- May 8, 1988, 21:20 local (May 9, 1988, 02:20 UTC)
- Place
- Sour Lake, TX
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3853VCessna 170
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880508013699A
- Case key
- 22638
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 acft struck trees and the grnd during a night cross country in marginal weather. The non-instrument rated pvt plt stated that he was flying in cruise flt at 1250' MSL when he hit trees. The closest wx station recorded 1200 overcast with 5 miles visibility, temp 74, dew pt 70. The area of the accident site was sparsely populated and known to develop fog and ragged ceilings during similar conditions. The acdt site elv was 15' and the trees were 60-100' tall. Plt rptd that his altimeter malfunctioned, however, post-accident examination and testing did no reveal any failure or malfunction in the lower altitudes. Altimeter was last calibrated and tested 17 yrs prior to the accident. The survivors were located about 16 hrs after the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3853V
- Reported as
- Cessna 170
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18740
- Airframe hours
- 4,453
- Engine
- Continental C-145, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robinson, Richard L.
- Registered owner
- Robinson, Richard L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 11, 1987 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- DWH · Tomball, TX
- Destination
- BMT · Beaumont, TX
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 122 total · 31 in this make and model · 89 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BPT, 35 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.