Meyers Industries INC 200C accident near Justin, Texas, August 19, 2010
On August 19, 2010 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Meyers Industries INC 200C, registered N189M, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Justin, Texas (Propwash airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 starvation as a result of the pilot's improper fuel management.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 2010 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Justin, Texas · Propwash · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Meyers Industries INC 200C · all 200Cs on the register
- Registration
- N189M · registry record · serial 283
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed with full fuel tanks on a long cross-country flight. As the pilot approached his destination airport, he initiated a rapid descent by reducing the throttle to idle and lowering the nose of the airplane. At some point, the engine stopped producing power, but the pilot didn't realize this until he was on approach to the airport because the propeller was windmilling and he was wearing a noise-cancelling headset. The pilot was unable to restart the engine or maintain altitude. As the airplane glided toward the airport, the pilot realized that the gear warning horn had not activated when he pulled the throttle to idle and had to quickly extend the landing gear manually. The pilot was unable to fully extend the gear and landed short of the runway in a pasture. The nosewheel struck a hole and separated from the airframe and the left main gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. The airplane came to rest upright with the left wing tip on the ground. The propeller, left wing tip, and the leading edge of the left wing were also damaged; however, the four wing fuel tanks were not breached. The right outboard fuel tank was found empty, the right inboard fuel tank was 3/4 full, the left inboard tank was full, and the left outboard tank was 3/4 full. The fuel selector was found set to the right outboard tank position. The pilot stated that the fuel selector was set to the left inboard tank (which he estimated had 15 minutes of fuel remaining) when the engine quit and he had switched to a full tank to try and restart the engine. He said that even though the outboard fuel tanks looked empty after the accident he still had about 1.5 hours of fuel remaining and that he did not run any of the tanks out of fuel. A postaccident examination of the fuel system, ignition, and throttle assemblies revealed no mechanical deficiencies.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,008 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,854 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2010; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Samson Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: FTG Denver CO at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 16X Justin TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from AFW, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN10LA489.