Rockwell 690A accident near Nacogdoches, Texas, September 19, 1983
On September 19, 1983, a Rockwell 690A, registered N111QL, was destroyed in an accident near Nacogdoches, Texas (East Texas Regional airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- September 19, 1983
- Place
- Nacogdoches, Texas · East Texas Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell 690A
- Registration
- N111QL · no longer on the register · serial 11312
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TRANSPORTING PASSENGERS FROM LONGVIEW, TX TO OKLAHOMA CITY, OK & RETURN TO LONGVIEW, THE ACFT WAS REFUELED FOR A FLT BACK TO NACOGDOCHES, TX, WHERE THE ACFT WAS BASED. ABOUT 12 MIN AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT WAS CLEARED FOR AN NDB APCH TO NACOGDOCHES & INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT THE LUFKIN FSS FOR WX & CURRENT ALTIMETER SETTING. DURING THE NDB APCH, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES, CRASHED & BURNED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF EITHER AN ENG OR AIRFRAME FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. INITIAL IMPACT OCCURRED WITH TREES ABOUT 700 YDS EAST OF THE NDB SITE. INITIALLY, TREES WERE CUT IN AN UPSLOPING MANNER WHERE THE TERRAIN SLOPED UPWARDS. ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS 530 FT MSL. THE MIN DESCENT ALT (MDA) WAS 900 FT MSL. ABOUT 28 MI NORTH, THE 1955 CDT WX AT LUFKIN WAS, IN PART: 3500 FT BROKEN, VISIBILITY 5 MI. HOWEVER, WITNESSES AT NACOGDOCHES REPORTED CONSIDERABLY LOWER CEILINGS, REDUCED VISIBILITY & SOME HILLTOPS OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. A PLT WITNESS REPORTED LIGHT RAIN, FOG IN THE TREETOPS. REPORTEDLY, THE ARPT WAS BELOW MINS
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,310 hours in all; 135 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,077 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 29, 1983; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,250 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331-5-251 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GGG Longview TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 15, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°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.
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.