Cessna 140 accident near Liverpool, Texas, September 13, 1984
On September 13, 1984 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N89318, was destroyed in an accident near Liverpool, Texas. It was a personal 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
- September 13, 1984 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Liverpool, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N89318 · no longer on the register · serial 8346
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APRX 900 FT AGL THE ENG LOST POWER AND THE PLT EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING IN THE UNIMPROVED TERRAIN. AT TOUCHDOWN THE ACFT STRUCK TREES AND A DIRT ENBANKMENT NOSING OVER INVERTED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED WATER IN THE GASCOLATOR AS WELL AS THE LEFT FUEL TANK. ACCORDING TO THE PLT, IT WAS NECESSARY TO SUMP THE LEFT WING TANK 3 TIMES BEFORE A GOOD FUEL SAMPLE WAS OBTAINED. THE PLT FURTHER REPORTED THAT THE ACFT LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS IN A DEPRESSION CAUSING THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE TANK TO BE LOWER THAN THE SUMP DRAIN AND ENG PICK-UP LINE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 318 hours in all; 69 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 216 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,512 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1984; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 21T Houston TX at 9:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.