Cessna 205 accident near Elgin, Texas, June 10, 1988
On June 10, 1988 at about 1:41 pm local time, a Cessna 205, registered N8181Z, was destroyed in an accident near Elgin, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were 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
- June 10, 1988 · about 1:41 pm local time
- Place
- Elgin, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 205
- Registration
- N8181Z · no longer on the register · serial 205 0181
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT RADIOED THAT HE WAS RUNNING OUT OF FUEL WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR LANDING. THE CEILING WAS ABOUT 900 FEET WITH 5 MILES VISIBILITY AND THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN A LEVEL GRASS FIELD. WITNESSES HEARD THE ENGINE CUTTING OUT AND A LOSS OF CONTROL OCCURRED BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE FLIGHT PLAN SHOWED 4.5 HOURS OF FUEL AND THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ABOUT 3 HOURS AFTER TAKEOFF. RAW FUEL BURNS IN THE GRASS AT THE CRASH SITE SHOWED THAT FUEL EXHAUSTION DID NOT OCCUR. NO RECORD WAS FOUND THAT THE PILOT HAD SATISFACTORILY COMPLETED A BIENNIAL FLIGHT REVIEW WITHIN THE PAST 2 YEARS. HIS LOGBOOK SHOWED THAT HE HAD 5 HOURS ACTUAL OR SIMULATED INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME WITHIN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. POST ACC INVEST REVEALED THAT THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS ON THE RT TANK AND THE RT TANK CONTAINED NO FUEL WITH NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL LEAKAGE.
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: 468 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 327 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,004 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 19, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PYX Perryton TX
- Destination: AUS Austin TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:40 pm from AUS, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.