Amateur-built DEUCE accident near Beach City, Texas, June 24, 2009
On June 24, 2009 at about 3:15 pm local time, a amateur-built DEUCE, registered N26MR, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Beach City, Texas (Rwj Air Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation resulting from a partially crimped fuel tank vent tube.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2009 · about 3:15 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Beach City, Texas · Rwj Air Park · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DEUCE
- Registration
- N26MR · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the second flight of the homebuilt airplane, the engine lost power and the pilot made a forced landing on a residential street. Witnesses said the airplane veered off the street into a ditch and struck a mailbox. Damage included buckling of the engine mount and fuselage as well as separation of the right main gear, and approximately three feet of the outboard portion of the right wing. Due to the pilot's injuries, he had no recollection of the flight. Examination of the aircraft by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors revealed a partially crimped forward fuel tank vent tube.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during prior to flight
- Fuel starvation during enroute defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 593 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 560 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 5, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 17, 2009; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 54T Rwj Air Park TX at 2:00 pm
- Destination: 54T Rwj Air Park TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from HOU, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 5, 2009. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Form 6120.1-2, Pilot-operator Aircraft Accident Report | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1. N26MR. | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 2. Crimped Fuel Vent. | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N26MR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD 83 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Rwj Airpark · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,062 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,979 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN09CA382.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.