Globe GC-1B accident near Cypress, Texas, August 6, 2005
On August 6, 2005 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Globe GC-1B, registered N3209K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cypress, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 2005 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Cypress, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Globe GC-1B · all GC-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3209K · no longer on the register · serial 1202
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 639-hour private pilot lost control of the vintage airplane while maneuvering approximately 1,900 feet above the ground. The pilot had departed a local airport with a passenger for a short personal flight. Several witnesses observed the airplane in a vertical or diving attitude, but did not see the airplane actually impact the ground. Terminal radar recorded part of the flight, and an engine data management system installed on the airplane recorded the engine parameters. Ground scars and signatures at the initial point of impact were consistent with a high rate of descent impact with the airplane in a level/flat attitude. The airplane was configured with the landing gear and flaps in the retracted position at the time of the impact. All aircraft components were accounted for at the accident site. Flight control continuity was established at the accident site and no anomalies were found with the airframe or engine. The vintage airplane was placarded against intentional spins.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 639 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,620.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2004; 109.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,970 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360-DB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TS07 Cypress, Texas TX at 9:32 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from DWH, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3209K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.