Mooney M-10 accident near Abilene, Texas, May 6, 1986
On May 6, 1986 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Mooney M-10, registered N9538V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Abilene, Texas (Elmdale Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- May 6, 1986 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Abilene, Texas · Elmdale Airpark
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M-10 · all M-10s on the register
- Registration
- N9538V · registry record · serial 700028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH FOR RUNWAY 17 AT ELMDALE AIRPARK, ABILENE, TX, THE STUDENT PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WHEN HE FLARED THE AIRCRAFT AND IT BEGAN TO DESCEND. THE STUDENT ATTEMPTED TO PULL BACK ON THE WHEEL, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ENTER A STALL AT APPROXIMATELY FOUR OR FIVE FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. IT WASN'T UNTIL THIS POINT THAT THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK THE CONTROLS. WITHOUT SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED AND ALTITUDE, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND, SHORT OF RUNWAY 17.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,500 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 129 in the last 90 days; 8,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,406 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 12, 1985; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-16F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Elmdale Airpark INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,000 ft by 30 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from ABI, 5 miles away
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.