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Accidents · NTSB FTW86LA088 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 337D accident near Edinberg, Texas, May 9, 1986

On May 9, 1986, a Cessna 337D, registered N337D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Edinberg, Texas (Edinburg 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
May 9, 1986 · cases in 1986
Place
Edinberg, Texas · Edinburg · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 337D · all 337Ds on the register
Registration
N337D · registry record · serial 337-1156
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE PILOT STATED HE LOST BOTH ENGINES WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT. HOWEVER, NO EVIDENCE OF ENGINE MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. THE PILOT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR ILLEGAL DRUG TRAFFICKING. A DEA AGENT SUSPECTS THE PILOT HAD UNLOADED HIS CARGO AND WAS TAKING OFF FROM A DIRT ROAD, WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED A CROSSWIND AND LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, COLLIDING WITH A DITCH ALONGSIDE THE ROAD.

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: 200 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 150 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
  • Seats: 5
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental IO-360-C/D (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
  • Visibility: 6 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft
  • Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.00 inHg

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW86LA088.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.