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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 2023 · about 1:46 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- La Porte, Texas · La Porte Muni · cases near this airport · 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 |
Photographs from the investigation 5 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Accident Site and Airplane Wreckage
Photograph 2 – Front View of Airplane Wreckage
Photograph 3 – Right Side View of Airplane Wreckage
Photograph 4 – Left Side View of Airplane Wreckage
Photograph 5 – Closeup of Engine at Accident SiteThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on February 13, 2025. 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.
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
- N4008J: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Maule MXT-7 135 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,346 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1F 102 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- LA Porte Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,061 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,985 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23FA164.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.