Cessna 180 accident near Beaumont, Texas, January 11, 1988
On January 11, 1988 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2517K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beaumont, Texas. It was an aerial observation 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
- January 11, 1988 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Beaumont, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2517K · registry record · serial 18052965
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT EXPERIENCED A POWER LOSS WHILE IN CRUISE FLT AT 500' AGL ON AN AERIAL PIPELINE PATROL FLT. AN OFF-ARPT EMERGENCY LNDG WAS MADE IN ROUGH TERRAIN AND THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE CARB HEAT GATE VALVE WOULD ONLY CLOSE 2/3RDS OF THE WAY WHEN THE CONTROL WAS PLACED IN THE CARB HEAT FULL ON POSITION. THE ACTUATOR ARM WAS BINDING AGAINST THE ENG COMPARTMENT INTERIOR BAFFLING. THE PLT AND PAX STATED THAT EARLIER ON THE SAME FLIGHT, PRIOR TO THE EMERGENCY LANDING, THEY HAD EXPERIENCED A PWR LOSS THAT WAS ALLEVIATED BY THE USE OF CARB HEAT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,940 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 5, 1987; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470U (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dow Chemical CO.
The flight
- Departed from: LBX Angleton TX at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.