Stinson 108 accident near Seguin, Texas, July 8, 2025
On July 8, 2025 at about 11:45 pm local time, a 1946 Stinson 108, registered N97577, was involved in an accident during standing (engine(s) start-up) near Seguin, Texas (Zuehl airport). It was a personal 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 failure to turn off the magneto switch before repositioning the propeller by hand which resulted in an inadvertent engine start.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2025 · about 11:45 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Seguin, Texas · Zuehl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108, built 1946 · all 108s on the register
- Registration
- N97577 · registry record · serial 108-577
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After refueling the airplane, the engine failed to start after two attempts, and the pilot elected to reposition the propeller by hand. The magneto switch was left in the ON position, and the engine inadvertently started which resulted in a serious injury to the pilot’s arm. The unoccupied airplane then collided with a large metal sign and came to rest upright. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- AC/prop/rotor contact w person during standing (engine(s) start-up) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Magneto/distributor › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the engine
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Unintentional use/operation other cases naming the engine
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,423 hours in all; 754 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2,373 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 6, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: none
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,113.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A4-150-B3 (piston); 102 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from KRND, 6 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRND 090055Z AUTO 14008KT 10SM CLR 27/22 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP171 T02730222=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 4, 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Form 8020-23 Mor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
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
- N97577 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Stinson 108 Voyager and Station Wagon 1,268 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Stinson 1,728 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Franklin 6A4-150-B3 768 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Zuehl Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,061 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,986 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN25LA243.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.