Cessna 172P accident near Lake Jackson, Texas, February 3, 1986
On February 3, 1986 at about 7:00 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52768, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Jackson, Texas (Brazoria CO. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- February 3, 1986 · about 7:00 am local time
- Place
- Lake Jackson, Texas · Brazoria CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52768 · no longer on the register · serial 17274604
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED DURING FORCED LANDING AFTER A POWER LOSS. THE ACFT ENG QUIT, AFTER A 4 HR X-COUNTRY, DURING THE LNDG APPROACH. THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLOWN LOCALLY OVER AN HOUR BY ANOTHER PLT (CREW). THIS MADE A CUMULATIVE FLT TIME ON THE ACFT OF OVER 5 HRS SINCE REFUELING. THE ACFT HELD 40 USABLE GALLONS OF FUEL AND BURNED 8 OR MORE GALS OF FUEL AN HR DEPENDING ON CIRCUMSTANCES OF OPERATION. THE ACFT WAS EXAMINED FOR FUEL AFTER THE ACC AND A LITTLE FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE TANKS AND CARBURETOR FLOAT BOWL BUT NONE IN THE GASCOLATOR OR RELATED FUEL LINES. THE REFUELED ENG WAS RUN SUCCESSFULLY ON A TEST STAND AFTER THE ACC. ONE OF THE PASSENGERS SAID HE AND THE PLT NOTED THE FUEL GAUGES AT A LOW FUEL STATE NEAR THE END OF THE FLT.
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: 198 hours in all; 182 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 138 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,248 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 8, 1985; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R5 New Braunfels TX at 4:00 am
- Destination: LBX Lake Jackson TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 am from HOU, 34 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N52768 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.