Amateur-built T18 accident near Mckinney, Texas, July 27, 1986
On July 27, 1986 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built T18, registered N7JA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mckinney, Texas (Mckinney Muni airport). 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 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
- July 27, 1986 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mckinney, Texas · Mckinney Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built T18
- Registration
- N7JA · registry record · serial 630
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS LANDED ON A CLOSED RWY WHERE IT COLLIDED WITH STEEL POSTS EMBEDDED IN THE RWY. THE PLT HAD QUESTIONED A CESSNA PLT WHO MADE A GO-AROUND IN FRONT OF HIM ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE RWY AND WAD ADVISED IT WAS CLOSED. THE PLT SAW THE FLAG & AN 'X' BUT LANDED OVER THEM AND COLLIDED WITH THE POSTS.
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: 799 hours in all; 538 in this make and model; 756 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 538 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 1986; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TX05 Mckinney TX at 1:50 pm
- Destination: TKI Mckinney TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.