Maule M-5-210C accident near Kirbyville, Texas, April 18, 1982
On April 18, 1982 at about 5:15 am local time, a Maule M-5-210C, registered N62003, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kirbyville, Texas (Kirbyville airport). It was a business 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1982 · about 5:15 am local time
- Place
- Kirbyville, Texas · Kirbyville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-210C · all M-5-210Cs on the register
- Registration
- N62003 · registry record · serial 6056C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON 4/17/82, N62003 DEPARTED WOODVILLE, TX UNDER VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS ON A FLIGHT TO KIRBYVILLE, TX. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE ATTITUDE GYRO HAD ALWAYS BEEN SLOW TO ERECT AND WAS STILL SHOWING 10 DEGREES RIGHT BANK WHEN HE ARRIVED AT KIRBYVILLE. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE HAD THE RUNWAY LIGHTS IN SIGHT AND APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET. FROM THE RUNWAY THE WINDSHIELD FOGGED UP AND THE LANDING LIGHTS BLINDED HIM. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A GO AROUND BUT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND A SHORT TIME LATER. THE PILOT STATED, "IF I HAD A PROPERLY OPERATING GYRO HORIZON, A GLANCE WOULD HAVE TOLD ME I HAD A NOSE DOWN CONDITION AND I COULD HAVE ESTABLISHED A NORMAL CLIMB OUT."
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 547 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 410 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,500 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 09R Woodville TX at 10:58 pm
- Destination: Danvers MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,000 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 149°F (65°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from BPT, 32 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.
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.