Cessna 172RG accident near Refugio, Texas, October 16, 1987
On October 16, 1987 at about 11:15 am local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9693B, was destroyed in an accident near Refugio, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. 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
- October 16, 1987 · about 11:15 am local time
- Place
- Refugio, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9693B · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0972
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT CONTINUED VFR FLT INTO WX THAT WAS IMC. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN IN AN EXTREMELY NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF THE PILOT RECEIVING ANY PRE-FLT OR IN FLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFINGS OR FORECASTS FOR THIS FLIGHT. A WITNESS REPORTED NORMAL (ALTHOUGH WAVERING) ENGINE SOUNDS JUST PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT CRASH.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 251 hours in all; 83 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 855 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 29, 1987; 112 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RKP Rockport TX at 11:00 am
- Destination: CRS Corsicana TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 060° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 am from NIR, 46 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.