Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Burnet, Texas, December 19, 1987
On December 19, 1987 at about 1:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N33007, was destroyed in an accident near Burnet, Texas (Horseshoe Bay airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- December 19, 1987 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Burnet, Texas · Horseshoe Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N33007 · no longer on the register · serial 28R7535106
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ARRIVED IN THE AREA OF HIS PLANNED DESTINATION AND COMPLETED THE OUTBOUND AND INBOUND PROCEDURE TURNS FOR THE NDB RUNWAY 17 APPROACH WITHOUT REPORTED INCIDENT. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER, THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A LARGE OAK TREE ABOUT 15 FEET AGL OR 1265 FEET MSL, ON A HILLTOP 12 MILES NORTH OF AND INBOUND TO THE AIRPORT. HIS MDA WAS 1840 MSL OR 590 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WHERE THE IMPACT OCCURRED. THE REQUIRED CHECKS OF THE ALTIMETER AND STATIC SYSTEM WERE CURRENT, HAVING BEEN CONDUCTED THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES NEAR THE ACCD SITE INDICATED THAT THE VISIBILITY AT ABT THE TIME OF THE ACCD WAS NEAR ZERO. INFO FM THE PLTS LOGBOOKS REVEALED THAT HE HAD FLOWN INTO THE ARPT ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR THE LAST 4 TO 5 YRS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 983 hours in all; 963 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 899 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,026 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 1987; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-CIC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HOU Houston TX at 11:36 pm
- Destination: 4R2 Horseshoe Bay TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.