Douglas TB-26B accident near Pattonville, Texas, August 17, 1985
On August 17, 1985 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Douglas TB-26B, registered N190M, was destroyed in an accident near Pattonville, Texas. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- August 17, 1985 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Pattonville, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas TB-26B
- Registration
- N190M · no longer on the register · serial 44-34156A
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD NOT FLOWN FOR TWO YEARS AND WAS BEING CHECKED OUT FOR A FERRY FLT TO THE U.S. AIR FORCE AIR MUSEUM IN FARGO, ND. DURING INITIAL CLIMB FROM COX FIELD AT PARIS, TX, THE LEFT ENG LOST TOTAL PWR AND THE RIGHT ENG LOST PARTIAL PWR. AN OFF ARPT FORCED LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED, HOWEVER, THE ACFT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN AND TREES. THE REASON FOR THE PWR LOSS WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,485 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 8,890 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 32,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R2800 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRX Paris TX at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.