Piper PA-28-R-180 accident near Houston, Texas, August 9, 1986
On August 9, 1986 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-R-180, registered N3930T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houston, Texas (West Houston airport). It was a personal 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
- August 9, 1986 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · West Houston · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-R-180 PA-28-R-18 · all PA-28-R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N3930T · no longer on the register · serial 28R-30269
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIVATE PILOT OF A PIPER PA-28R-180 DEPARTED RUNWAY 15 AT WEST HOUSTON AIRPORT (IWS), HOUSTON, TEXAS. PILOT STATED HE HAD DEPARTED RUNWAY 15 WHEN ENGINE QUIT AT APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET AGL. PILOT EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY. PILOT STATED HE FAILED TO DEACTIVATE THE AUTOMATIC GEAR LOWERING FEATURE OF THE AIRCRAFT WHICH RESULTED IN A FORCED LANDING INTO AN UNIMPROVED AREA WITH ALL THREE LANDING GEARS DOWN AND LOCKED. AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. NOSE GEAR SHEARED AND BOTH MAIN GEARS WERE FORCED UPWARD INTO THE WING STRUCTURES. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER ONBOARD THE AIRCRAFT WERE UNINJURED. PILOT STATED HE TOOK ON 27 GALLONS OF LOW LEAD AVIATION FUEL AT WEST HOUSTON AIRPORT AND HAD DRAINED FUEL SAMPLES FROM WING TANK SUMPS AND GASOLATOR AND FOUND NO WATER PRESENT. HOWEVER, INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT SUBSEQUENT TO THE ACCIDENT REVEALED SOME WATER PRESENT IN THE GASOLATOR. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME.
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: 213 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 126 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 7, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming J0-360-BJE (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GWS Houston TX at 3:00 pm
- Destination: SGR Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 4,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from HOU, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.