Israel Aircraft Industries 1124A accident near Redwater, Texas, April 5, 1986
On April 5, 1986 at about 1:22 am local time, a Israel Aircraft Industries 1124A, registered N50SK, was destroyed in an accident near Redwater, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 7 people were killed. 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
- April 5, 1986 · about 1:22 am local time
- Place
- Redwater, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 7 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Israel Aircraft Industries 1124A · all 1124As on the register
- Registration
- N50SK · registry record · serial 309
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRPLANE CRASHED DURING A UNCONTROLLED DESCENT, FOLLOWING A TURBULENCE UPSET AT FL370. THE UPSET OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF CLR AIR TURB ASSOCIATED WITH A VIP LVL 6 THUNDERSTORM LOCATED WITHIN 7 MILES OF THE LAST POS OF THE AIRPLANE. AFTER THE UPSET, THE AIRPLANE PENETRATED AND DESCENDED THRU THE CELL WHICH CONTAINED LIGHTNING, EXTREME TURB AND SEVERE ICING. DURING THE UPSET/DESCENT BOTH ENG'S FLAMED OUT AND THE CREW'S ATTEMPTS TO RECOVER THE AIRPLANE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL DUE TO CONDITIONS IN THE CELL. CREW RECV'D AN IMPROPER BRIEFING FROM FSS AND RPT'D THEIR RADAR WAS MALFUNCTIONING TO THE DEP CONTROLLER. SIGMET AND AWW INFO WAS NOT GIVEN DURING THE BRIEFING. AS THE AIRPLANE CAME OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE CELL AT 4,000', THE CREW OVERSTRESSED THE AIRPLANE CAUSING THE LFT MLG DOOR TO SEPARATE AND HIT THE LFT HORZ STAB WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY SEPARATED IN OVERLOAD. IMPACT WAS 82 DEGREES NOSE DOWN. NATURE OF THE AIRPLANE RADAR MALF COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,353 hours in all; 657 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,745 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 7, 1986; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 23,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TFE731-3-1G (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Singer CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: RDB Dallas TX
- Destination: TEB Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:26 am from TXK, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.