Cessna 172N accident near Padre Island, Texas, June 3, 2014
On June 3, 2014 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna 172N, registered N734BY, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Padre Island, Texas. 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
The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2014 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Padre Island, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N N, built 1977 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734BY · no longer on the register · serial 17268737
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during cruise flight, the engine lost power and began running roughly. He applied carburetor heat, set the mixture control to full rich, attempted to switch fuel tanks, and cycled the ignition switch to test the magnetos, but the engine continued to run roughly at reduced power. During the subsequent forced landing, the tires sunk into soft soil, and the airplane then nosed over. The weather conditions when the power loss occurred were conducive to the accumulation of moderate carburetor icing at cruise and descent power settings. Formation of ice within the carburetor throat could have resulted in a richer fuel/air mixture that could have been further exacerbated by the pilot's application of carburetor heat and his setting of the mixture control to full rich. The airplane was recovered from the accident site and released before a postaccident examination could be conducted; therefore, other possible causes for the engine power loss could not be ruled out.
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 (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Not specified
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,513.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 28, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 760 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DWH Houston TX
- Destination: PIL Port Isabel TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from CRP, 23 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.
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.