Cessna 170A accident near El Paso, Texas, September 3, 1988
On September 3, 1988 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N9101A, was destroyed in an accident near El Paso, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT'S IMPAIRMENT DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1988 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N9101A · registry record · serial 18860
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT WAS RPRTD TO BE FOR A BIRD HUNTING EXCURSION. TWO WITNESSES RPRTD THEY SAW AN ACFT (MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION OF N9101A) FLYING ABOUT 50 TO 75 FT AGL & MANEUVERING. NO KNOWN WITNESSES SAW THE PLANE CRASH. WHEN IT DID NOT RETURN, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE ACFT WAS FND THE NEXT MORNING WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ON NEAR LEVEL, DESERT TERRAIN. AN EXAM REVEALED THE ACFT HAD COLLIDED WITH THE GND IN A STEEP LEFT BANK, SLIGHT NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE ENG HIT THE GND ABOUT 33 FT BEYOND WHERE THE LEFT WING TIP 1ST MADE CONTACT. THE ACFT THEN TUMBLED & CAME TO REST WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AFTER TRAVELING ANOTHER 54 FT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE PROP WAS ROTATING AT IMPACT & THE PROP BLADES WERE TWISTED & CURLED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. FOUR SHOT GUNS WERE FND IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT & SHOT GUN SHELLS WERE FND THRU-OUT THE WRECKAGE AREA. DRG A TOXICOLOGY CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD, AN ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.152% WAS NOTED.
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: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,007 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 1987; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TX04 El Paso TX at 9:00 pm
- Destination: TX04
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.