Mooney M20E accident near Longview, Texas, October 22, 1988
On October 22, 1988 at about 3:08 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N79373, was destroyed in an accident near Longview, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- October 22, 1988 · about 3:08 pm local time
- Place
- Longview, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N79373 · no longer on the register · serial 0583
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN THE PILOT TRANSMITTED THAT HE HAD SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. 53 SECONDS LATER CONTACT WAS LOST. THE NOSE AND LEFT WING WERE SLIGHTLY DOWN WHEN THE ACFT STRUCK TREES AND TERRAIN AT HIGH SPEED. FIRE STARTED SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER IMPACT. INVESTIGATION INDICATED THERE HAD BEEN HEAVY SMOKE AND POSSIBLE SHORT DURATION FLASH FIRE OF UNDETERMINED ORIGIN. ONE GROUP OF WIRES WAS FOUND WITH BURNED INSULATION AND WITH ONE WIRE ELECTRICALLY MELTED IN TWO.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 763 hours in all; 89 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 633 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,824 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 30, 1988; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 78R St Augustine TX at 2:40 pm
- Destination: 4F4 Gilmer TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:20 pm from GGG, 14 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.