Stinson 108-3 accident near Kirbyville, Texas, July 27, 1987
On July 27, 1987 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Stinson 108-3, registered N744C, was destroyed in an accident near Kirbyville, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1987 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kirbyville, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108-3 · all 108-3s on the register
- Registration
- N744C · registry record · serial 3744
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT APPROACHED THE KIRBYVILLE AIRPORT IN PREPARATION FOR LANDING, WITNESSES STATED THAT SMOKE WAS OBSERVED COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED 30 FOOT PINE TREES, & CONTROL WAS LOST. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A LARGE TREE APPROXIMATELY 5 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL AND BURST INTO FLAMES. THE PILOT APPEARED TO BE ATTEMPTING TO REACH AN OPEN FIELD IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE POINT OF IMPACT. AN ENGINE TEARDOWN REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE ACFT AND ENGINE WERE EXTENSIVELY DMGD BY IMPACT AND POSTCRASH FIRE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ORG Orange TX at 7:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:59 pm from BPT, 62 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW87FA179.