Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Plainview, Texas, September 20, 1985
On September 20, 1985 at about 8:17 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N1994T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plainview, Texas (Hale County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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 20, 1985 · about 8:17 pm local time
- Place
- Plainview, Texas · Hale County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N1994T · registry record · serial 28R-7135187
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING AN EMERG LANDING FOLLOWING AN ENG FAILURE DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. PLT STATED THAT DURING THE 2ND LEG OF HIS FLT, THE CEILING AND VISIBILITY DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE ARPT AT HIS DESTINATION AND THAT HE USED UP HIS FUEL RESERVE LOOKING FOR IT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ACFT FLEW 4.2 HRS TO COVER A STRAIGHT LINE DISTANCE OF 269.5NM THAT WOULD NORMALLY TAKE AN ETE OF BETWEEN 1.63 HRS AND 1.73 HRS. THE WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE AREA WAS MARGINAL VFR TO BELOW VFR MINIMUMS. DURING WEATHER BRIEFING, PLT WAS WARNED THAT VFR WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED WITHIN 5 NM OF THE DESTINATION ARPT.
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: 123 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 123 in the last 90 days; 65 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,305 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 19, 1985; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tarrant Aero Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: Guthrie TX at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 FTW85LA353.