Cessna 206 accident near Pharr, Texas, March 26, 1985
On March 26, 1985 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 206, registered XBANR, was destroyed in an accident near Pharr, Texas. It was a business 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
- March 26, 1985 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pharr, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- XBANR · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT IS MEXICAN REGISTERED AND WAS BEING FLOWN BY A MEXICAN NATIONAL, FROM MCALLEN TX. TO TUXPAN VER. MEXICO. ITS CARGO WAS TELEVISION SETS. ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AFTER DEPARTING MCALLEN THE PILOT REPORTED A POWER LOSS AND THAT HE WAS RETURNING TO THE AIRPORT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A POWER POLE AND HOUSE AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. IT THEN CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED. THE REASON FOR THE REPORTED ENGINE FAILURE IS UNKNOWN.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MFE Mcallen TX at 2:55 pm
- Destination: Tuxpan Ver
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.