Piper PA-34-200T accident near Nocagdoches, Texas, November 28, 2010
On November 28, 2010 at about 5:23 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N36405, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Nocagdoches, Texas (A.L. Mangham Jr. Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of power in both engines for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 2010 · about 5:23 pm local time
- Place
- Nocagdoches, Texas · A.L. Mangham Jr. Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N36405 · no longer on the register · serial 34-7870329
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, about 1 hour and 10 minutes after departure, the left engine lost power. The pilot proceeded to the nearest airport and as he maneuvered the airplane onto the base leg of the traffic pattern, the right engine lost power. He performed a wheels-up forced landing about 600 feet from the runway. He said he had departed with full fuel. A postaccident examination by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors found no evidence of fuel leakage, and the only visible fuel was approximately 5 gallons of unusable fuel. However, retrieval crews reported a very strong smell of avgas when they arrived one hour after the accident. They estimated at least ten to fifteen gallons of avgas was in both the left and right wing tanks. No anomalies were found with the airplane.
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 enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 829 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 779 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 9, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 16, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360 (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGR Sugar Land TX at 4:10 pm
- Destination: DTN Shreveport LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from OCH
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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.