Cessna L-19E accident near Conroe, Texas, April 30, 1988
On April 30, 1988 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna L-19E, registered N3946L, was destroyed in an accident near Conroe, Texas (Montgomery County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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 30, 1988 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Conroe, Texas · Montgomery County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna L-19E · all L-19Es on the register
- Registration
- N3946L · no longer on the register · serial 34731
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED BY WITNESSES MAKING A CHANDELLE-LIKE MANEUVER FROM TAKEOFF. AT THE TOP, THE NOSE AND RIGHT WING DROPPED FOR APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES OF TURN. THE WINGS WERE ALMOST LEVEL WHEN THE AIRPLANE HIT THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE BURNED AFTER 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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,209 hours in all; 3,116 as pilot in command; 2,246 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,218 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 28, 1988; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,430 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 4,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm
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.