Cessna 182B accident near El Paso, Texas, November 11, 1988
On November 11, 1988 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N2721G, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Paso, Texas (Mcguire Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- November 11, 1988 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · Mcguire Ranch
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2721G · no longer on the register · serial 52021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID HE THOUGHT HE HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE AIRBORNE FOR 6 HOURS BUT THE LEFT TANK RAN DRY IN 4.0 HOURS AND THE RIGHT TANK WENT DRY AT 4.1 HOURS. THE LANDING WAS ON A RANCH AIRPORT BUT WAS NOT ON A RUNWAY AND THE FORCED LANDING WAS A HARD ONE.
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: 144 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 69TA Corpus Christi TX at 1:28 pm
- Destination: NONE Horizon City TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 23, 8,500 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 25 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.