Cessna 172 accident near San Antonio, Texas, October 23, 1988
On October 23, 1988 at about 4:45 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N7185Q, was destroyed in an accident near San Antonio, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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 23, 1988 · about 4:45 am local time
- Place
- San Antonio, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7185Q · no longer on the register · serial 17260485
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN FLOWN FOR 2.2 HOURS SINCE REFUELING WHEN THIS PILOT STARTED HIS FLIGHT. THIS PILOT FLEW THE AIRPLANE FOR 2.5 HOURS AND THE ENGINE QUIT. DURING THE FORCED LANDING, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED A POWER POLE AND POWER LINES, AND THEN THE TERRAIN. NO USABLE FUEL FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL TANKS. NO PREIMPACT PROBLEMS COULD BE FOUND WITH THE AIRPLANE OR ENGINE. ONE FUEL LINE BETWEEN THE FIREWALL FUEL FILTER AND THE CARBURETOR WAS FOUND TO BE BROKEN BUT NO INDICATION OF SPILLED FUEL WAS FOUND. PLTS LAST MEDICAL EXAM WAS JAN 1986.
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: 350 hours in all; 290 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,784 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 9, 1988; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GLS Galveston TX at 1:30 am
- Destination: SAT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 am from SAT, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.