Maule M-4-220C accident near Pearsall, Texas, January 2, 2010
On January 2, 2010 at about 1:30 am local time, a Maule M-4-220C, registered N2028U, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Pearsall, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 2010 · about 1:30 am local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Pearsall, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-4-220C · all M-4-220Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2028U · registry record · serial 2016C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a night cross-country flight the pilot experienced problems with the airplane’s global positioning system (GPS) and elected to land to recharge the battery. Once airborne the pilot again experienced problems with the GPS and received vectors to his destination airport. While in the vicinity of the destination airport, the pilot was unable to activate the airport’s runway lights or to see the airport beacon. The pilot then selected an alternate airport located 45 miles away; however, while en route the airplane’s fuel supply was exhausted and the airplane experienced a complete loss of engine power. During the ensuing forced landing the main landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest upright in a ditch. The pilot and passengers were able to exit unassisted. A review of flight planning publications for the destination airport revealed that the rotating beacon was listed as out of service and that a frequency other than the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency was needed to activate the runway lights. In addition, Federal Aviation Regulations require a pilot flying at night to have enough fuel to arrive at the intended destination plus an additional 45 minutes worth of fuel.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 297 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 245 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 22, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,557 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 23, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V 350 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Candlerock International CORP
The flight
- Departed from: AUS Austin TX at 11:30 pm
- Destination: 20R Crystal City TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.67 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 3, 2010. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 4 pages | 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
- N2028U on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Maule M-4 207 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,346 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Franklin 6V 350 SERIES 134 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Austin-Bergstrom International · departed from
- Crystal City Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,061 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,986 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN10CA087.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.