Hawker Siddeley 125-600A accident near Houston, Texas, January 18, 1988
On January 18, 1988 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Hawker Siddeley 125-600A, registered XAKUT, was destroyed in an accident near Houston, Texas (Hobby airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed, 3 people were seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries. 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
- January 18, 1988 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Hobby · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 3 people were seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Hawker Siddeley 125-600A
- Registration
- XAKUT · no longer on the register · serial 256028
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BFR TKOF, A PLT OF XA-KUT WAS BRIEFED THAT THE HOUSTON HOBBY (HOU) WX WAS IFR WITH '. . . INDEFINITE CEILING ZERO SKY OBSCURED VISIBILITY'S 1/16 OF A MILE AND FOG . . .' HE WAS ALSO ADZD IFR CONDS WERE FORECAST UNTIL 0900 CST, GRADUALLY IMPROVING TO MARGINAL VFR BY 1100 CST WITH 1000' BRKN, 5 MI VIS & FOG. THE FLT TKOF OFF AT 0900 CST. AT HOU, ARRIVAL WAS DELAYED DUE TO WX. THE CREW REQUESTED AN ILS APCH, WITH INTENTIONS OF DIVERTING IF A MISSED APCH WAS MADE. THE RVR WAS VARIABLE. AFTER BEING CLRD FOR AN ILS RWY 4 APCH, THE PLT WAS ADZD THE RVR HAD DROPPED TO 1400'. AFTER CHANGING TO TWR FREQ, THE FLT WAS CLRD TO LND & WAS TOLD AGAIN THE RVR WAS 1400'. WHEN THE ACFT WAS ON FINAL APCH, THE PLTS WERE ADZD OF A LOW ALT ALERT. HOWEVER, THE ACFT CONTD BLO THE DECISION HEIGHT (DH), HIT A 70' PWR LINE (APRX 6500' SHORT OF THE RWY) & CRASHED. NO PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ITS SYSTEMS WAS FND. THE ILS WAS FLT CHECKED, BUT ONLY A MINOR DISCREPANCY (CONCERNING THE OUTER MARKER WIDTH) WAS NOTED. THE DH WAS 200' AGL, MIN RVR FOR THE APCH WAS 2400'.
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: foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,812 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 31, 1987; 361 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 24,380 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce VIPER-MK-601 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero Astra
The flight
- Departed from: LRD Laredo TX at 3:00 pm
- Destination: HOU
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 7,602 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from HOU, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 2 | 4 |
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.