- Date
- March 29, 1990, 12:07 local (18:07 UTC)
- Place
- Notrees, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1886MCessna 337G
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 23047
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue VFR flight into known IMC.
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
During the preflight weather briefing, the pilot was informed that VFR flight was not recommended. He departed in VFR conditions without a flight plan. When the airplane was 29 miles from the destination, it impacted a 400 ft tall antenna tower, 60 feet from the top. As the airplane went forward and down, the tower collapsed in many directions. The airplane was demolished and the pilot received fatal injuries. No pre-impact problems were found with the airplane or engines. A witness that was 10 miles north of the accident site, said the area had been totally fogged in, but that just before the time of the accident, the fog had started to lift enough so he could see under the fog.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1886M
- Reported as
- Cessna 337G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 33701486
- Airframe hours
- 2,258
- Engine
- Continental IO-360, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Avco Mod Service
- Registered owner
- Robert Burke
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1987
- Departed
- ELP · El Paso, TX
- Destination
- MAF · Midland, 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
- 51
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,100 total · 100 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 16 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MAF, 38 nm away