Douglas DC-3A accident near Laredo, Texas, July 29, 1987
On July 29, 1987 at about 2:02 am local time, a Douglas DC-3A, registered N39DT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Laredo, Texas (Laredo Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125). 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
- July 29, 1987 · about 2:02 am local time
- Place
- Laredo, Texas · Laredo Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-3A · all DC-3As on the register
- Registration
- N39DT · registry record · serial 4870
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE LEFT ENGINE FAILED DURING INITIAL CLIMB IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFTOFF. AIRSPEED COULD NOT BE MAINTAINED WITH ONE ENGINE OUT DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLIMBING SLOWLY JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE AND WAS LOADED TO 3,809 POUNDS ABOVE ITS MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE TAKEOFF GROSS WEIGHT. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED BUT DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST AND THE AIRCRAFT STALL/MUSHED AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN ALONGSIDE THE RUNWAY. THE LEFT ENG WAS EXAMINED AFTER THE ACC AND NO MALFUNCTIONS FOUND.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 26,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-1830 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: CCC Cuidad Carargo
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 14, 5,926 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.