Globe GC-1B accident near Powderly, Texas, May 18, 1988
On May 18, 1988, a Globe GC-1B, registered N78143, was destroyed in an accident near Powderly, Texas (Powderly airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- May 18, 1988
- Place
- Powderly, Texas · Powderly · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Globe GC-1B · all GC-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N78143 · no longer on the register · serial 2143
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN FOR MORE THAN SEVEN MONTHS. IT DID NOT HAVE A CURRENT ANNUAL INSPECTION. WITNESSES SAID THE PILOT RAN THE ENGINE AND IT RAN ROUGH. THEN HE WASHED THE AIRPLANE, THEN REFUELED, DRAINED THE SUMPS AND RAN THE ENGINE AGAIN AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPORT MANAGER SAID HE THOUGHT THE PILOT WAS ONLY GOING TO MAKE A HIGH SPEED TAXI BECAUSE THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING SO BAD. THE AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF BUT DID NOT CLIMB. IT HIT A TREE, THEN A HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINE, THEN THE TERRAIN AND A PORCH OF A HOUSE AND STARTED BURNING. SOME SPARK PLUGS WERE DIRTY AND WATER WAS FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR FLOAT CHAMBER. THE PLASTIC CARBURETOR FLOAT WAS CRACKED OPEN.
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: 350 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,710 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 44F
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,945 ft by 38 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.