Ryan NAVION-A accident near Kenedy, Texas, June 27, 1983
On June 27, 1983 at about 11:05 pm local time, a Ryan NAVION-A, registered N5040K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kenedy, Texas (Karnes CO. 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 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
- June 27, 1983 · about 11:05 pm local time
- Place
- Kenedy, Texas · Karnes CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION-A · all NAVION-As on the register
- Registration
- N5040K · registry record · serial NAV-4-1695
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKING OFF, THE ENG BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. THE PLT SAID IT QUIT & RESTARTED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE HE WAS TRYING TO RETURN TO THE ARPT. DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING, ABOUT 3 MI FROM THE ARPT, THE PLT ELECTED TO LAND WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED SINCE THERE WERE TERRACES IN THE LANDING AREA. THERE REASON FOR THE POWER LOSS WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,075 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 3,233 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-9 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: CRP Corpus Christi TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.