Piper PA-22-108 accident near Terrel, Texas, January 29, 1987
On January 29, 1987 at about 4:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-108, registered N4862Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Terrel, Texas (Terrell Mun. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 1987 · about 4:05 pm local time
- Place
- Terrel, Texas · Terrell Mun. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-108 · all PA-22-108s on the register
- Registration
- N4862Z · no longer on the register · serial 22-8438
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND DUE TO CROSS WINDS AND EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO FUEL STARVATION WHEN THE MIXTURE CONTROL VIBRATED OUT TO THE SHUTOFF POSITION. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED SEVERAL TIMES TO RESTART THE ENGINE, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL PRIOR TO IMPACT.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 937 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 936 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,139 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wallace Aero,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: TAL Terrel TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:48 pm from DAL, 20 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.
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.