Cessna 170B accident near Crowley, Texas, February 14, 1988
On February 14, 1988 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3180B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crowley, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- February 14, 1988 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Crowley, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3180B · no longer on the register · serial 25422
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENGINE STOPPED AS A RESULT OF FUEL STARVATION, DUE TO A LARGE AMOUNT OF CONTAMINATION THROUGHOUT THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE SOURCE OF THE CONTAMINATION AND THE LENGTH OF TIME IT HAD BEEN IN THE SYSTEM WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE PILOT WAS NOT IN GLIDING DISTANCE OF AN AIRPORT AND MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FARM FIELD. THE PLT DID NOT FILE AN ACCIDENT REPORT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,650 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,069 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 29, 1987; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WEA Weatherford TX at 3:40 pm
- Destination: F72 Ft. Worth TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from FTW, 20 miles away
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.