Maule MXT-7-180 accident near La Porte, Texas, April 24, 2023
On April 24, 2023 at about 1:46 pm local time, a 1998 Maule MXT-7-180, registered N4008J, was substantially damaged in an accident during emergency descent near La Porte, Texas (La Porte Muni airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering for an emergency landing following a partial loss of engine power, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 2023 · about 1:46 pm local time
- Place
- La Porte, Texas · La Porte Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule MXT-7-180, built 1998 · all MXT-7-180s on the register
- Registration
- N4008J · no longer on the register · serial 14093C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Just after departing from runway 5 on an aerial survey flight, the pilot announced on the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency that the engine was running rough and he was returning to the airport. Another pilot flying in the airport traffic pattern reported that the accident airplane appeared too high and fast to land on runway 23; shortly thereafter, the accident pilot transmitted that the engine was producing power and that he was landing on runway 5. The witness saw the accident airplane subsequently enter a left base for runway 5 at low altitude and stated that the airplane appeared slow. The airplane overshot the runway, banked steeply, stalled, and entered a 1/2 turn spin before impacting the ground. Two other pilots who were flying in the area reported similar observations of the accident sequence, and ADS-B track data was consistent with their statements. The airplane impacted the ground and ground scars were consistent with a nose-low, right wing down attitude. The fuselage and both wings sustained substantial damage. Examinations of the airframe, engine, and fuel system did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the development of serious carburetor icing, which was consistent with the pilot’s announcement of a rough running engine. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering for an emergency landing following a partial loss of engine power, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and impact with terrain.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Loss of control in flight during emergency descent defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during emergency descent
- Fuel starvation during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, remote
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: airship
- Flight time: 1,418 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 267 in the last 90 days; 83 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,249 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 11, 2022; 552 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1F (piston); 7,578 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 am from KEFD, 6 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KEFD 241354Z 01009KT 10SM BKN070 14/09 A3008
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 CEN23FA164.