Cessna 152 accident near Katy, Texas, August 3, 1985
On August 3, 1985 at about 2:35 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N93980, was substantially damaged in an accident near Katy, Texas. 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 conditions the NTSB did not record.
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1985 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Katy, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N93980 · registry record · serial 15285579
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED HE HAD HIS DESTINATION ARPT IN SIGHT AND THEN LOST SIGHT OF IT. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE THE ARPT THE ENG LOST PWR. HE ATTEMPTED A EMERGENCY LANDING ON AN INTERSTATE HWY 10 WEST OF HOUSTON, TX. AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND DURING ROLLOUT THE RIGHT WING COLLIDED WITH A SIGN POST. THE CAUSE OF THE LOSS OF ENG PWR WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE DESTINATION ARPT HAD ENCOUNTERED A COMPLETE LOSS OF ELECTRICAL PWR.
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
What happened, in order
- LOSS OF ENGINE POWER during cruise - normal
- FORCED LANDING during descent - emergency
- ON GROUND/WATER COLLISION WITH OBJECT during landing - roll
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 113 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 79 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 2
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: CLL College Station TX at 1:35 am
- Destination: IWS Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°C, dew point 0°C
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW85LA321.