Cessna 500 accident near Eagle Pass, Texas, April 2, 1983
On April 2, 1983 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 500, registered N700CW, was destroyed in an accident near Eagle Pass, Texas (Winn airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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 2, 1983 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Eagle Pass, Texas · Winn · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 500 · all 500s on the register
- Registration
- N700CW · registry record · serial 500-0205
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A FLT TO A PRIVATE RANCH LANDING STRIP AT NIGHT. THE STRIP HAD AN UNLIGHTED WINDSOCK AT MIDFIELD & PORTABLE RWY EDGE LIGHTS WERE IN USE. DURING ARRIVAL, THE AIRCREW ESTIMATED THE VISIBILITY WAS 3 TO 4 MI & REPORTED THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO LAND. PERSONNEL AT THE RANCH HEARD THE ACFT FLY OVER. ONE OF THEM REPORTED THAT EARLIER, THE WIND HAD BEEN BLOWING HARD & THE AIR WAS FULL OF DUST, BUT AT THE TIME THE ACFT ARRIVED, DUST HAD SETTLED. A DEPUTY SHERIFF NOTED THAT AT TIMES, THE VISIBILITY WAS GOOD, BUT AT OTHER TIMES, IT WAS POOR. THE ACFT OWNER, WHO WAS AT THE RANCH, SAID HE COULD SEE THE ACFT LIGHTS AT TIMES (IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN), BUT AT TIMES, HE COULD NOT SEE THEM. AFTER MAKING 2 PASSES, THE ACFT CRASHED IN THE AREA WHERE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON A BASE LEG. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED IT WAS IN A LEFT TURN DURING IMPACT. AFTER INITIAL IMPACT, IT BOUNCED/SLID 663 FT, THEN HIT A TREE COVERED CANAL LEVEE & BURNED. NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,440 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 1, 1983; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,650 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT15D-1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CRP Corpus Christi TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 6,300 ft by 64 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 12 knots
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Observation at 1:55 am from DLF, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.