Maule M5 accident near New Braunfels, Texas, October 26, 2006
On October 26, 2006 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Maule M5, registered N32CX, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Braunfels, Texas (New Braunfels Muni airport). 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 failure of the right main landing gear attachment during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground loop. A contributing factor was a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2006 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- New Braunfels, Texas · New Braunfels Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M5 · all M5s on the register
- Registration
- N32CX · registry record · serial 7034C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was returning to the airport in the tail-wheeled airplane. He reported that he executed a normal approach to runway 17 for a full- stop landing. He stated that the wind at the time of the landing was reported as 250 degrees at 8 knots. During the landing roll, the airplane drifted to the left side of the runway. stated that he made a "slight correction with right rudder," but the airplane's right wing "continued down and the aircraft [began] to turn hard right." He attempted to regain directional control by adding power, but the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing and the propeller contacted the ground. The airplane ground looped which, resulted in structural damage to the right wing. Examination of the landing gear by an aircraft mechanic revealed that the right landing gear strut attachment point was corroded and cracked.
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: 512 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 453 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,904 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2005
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R5 New Braunfels TX
- Destination: New Braunfels TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,364 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from KBAZ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.