Piper PA-24-250 accident near Jacksboro, Texas, December 3, 2006
On December 3, 2006 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5697P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jacksboro, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper fuel calculations, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A factor was the unsuitable terrain encountered during the emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 2006 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksboro, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5697P · no longer on the register · serial 24770
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 385-hour private pilot reported that the fuel tanks on the single engine airplane were topped off with 90 gallons of aviation fuel for the 874.6 nautical mile cross country flight that originated at 0900. At 1530, while the airplane was in cruise flight about 10 minutes from his intended destination, the engine lost power. The pilot elected to execute a forced landing to a rough, mesquite covered field. The airplane sustained structural damage during the forced landing; however, the pilot and his passenger were able to egress from the airplane unassisted. The FAA inspector who traveled to the accident site discovered that the fuel cells were empty. The pilot added that he "ran out of fuel" and he had relied on a fuel computer that indicated there was 14 gallons (1.1 hours) of fuel remaining when the engine lost power. He added that the engine power loss could have been prevented if he had used a fuel burn rate of 13 gallons per hour and had restricted his endurance to a maximum of 6 hours.
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: 385 hours in all; 67 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming 0-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT North Las Vegas NV
- Destination: XPB Bridgeport TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N5697P 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.