Cessna 172XP accident near Hondo, Texas, March 28, 1989
On March 28, 1989 at about 9:08 am local time, a Cessna 172XP, registered N736RT, was destroyed in an accident near Hondo, Texas. It was a personal 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 PILOT'S DECISION TO DEPART INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER AND HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 1989 · about 9:08 am local time
- Place
- Hondo, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172XP · all 172XPs on the register
- Registration
- N736RT · no longer on the register · serial 1722735
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ELECTED TO TAKEOFF AFTER BEING TOLD BY THE AIRPORT MANAGER OF AN IMPENDING FRONTAL PASSAGE WITH ASSOCIATED THUNDERSTORMS. HE ALSO WAS INFORMED BY APPROACH CONTROL TO REMAIN ON THE GROUND UNTIL AFTER THE FRONTAL PASSAGE HAD OCCURRED. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES, DURING A THUNDERSTORM WITH HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND DURING THE INVESIGATION. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED.
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: 317 hours in all; 247 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 312 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,144 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 1988; 154 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T89 Castroville TX at 8:00 am
- Destination: CZT Carrizo Springs TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 am from HDO, 10 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.