Amateur-built DHC-6-300 incident near Houston, Texas, September 29, 1984
On September 29, 1984 at about 12:15 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-6-300, registered N914MA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Houston, Texas (Houston International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 8 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 incident. 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 29, 1984 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Houston International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-6-300
- Registration
- N914MA · no longer on the register · serial 724
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A LANDING ON RWY 14R, THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY, HIT A RWY SIGN & WAS DAMAGED. AT THE SAME TIME THE DHC-6 WAS APPROACHING TO LAND, A BOEING 727 WAS ALSO IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO LAND ON RWY 14L. ACCORDING TO TOWER PERSONNEL, THE BOEING LANDED ABOUT 1 MI AFTER THE DEHAVILLAND LANDED. HOWEVER, THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE BOEING CLOSED & POSSIBLY PASSED THE DEHAVILLAND DURING THE LANDING SEQUENCE. THE WIND WAS FROM 360 DEG AT 10 KTS WHICH WOULD HAVE DRIFTED WAKE TURBULENCE TOWARD RWY 14R. THE DEHAVILLAND CAPTAIN REPORTED THAT THE POWER LEVERS WERE STIFF & THAT THE LEFT PROP SOUNDED LIKE IT SURGED DURING THE LANDING JUST AFTER THE COPLT (WHO WAS FLYING THE ACFT) SELECTED GROUND BETA. WHEN THE CAPTAIN REALIZED THAT THE COPLT COULD NO LONGER CONTROL THE ACFT, HE TOOK THE CONTROLS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE RWY SIGN. THERE WAS MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR STRUT FAIRINGS.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,600 hours in all; 2,110 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 5,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 24
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-27 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Metroflight, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SGR Hull Field TX
- Destination: IAH
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 14R, 6,048 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 am from IAH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.