Cessna TU206D accident near Alamo, Texas, December 28, 1988
On December 28, 1988 at about 1:13 am local time, a Cessna TU206D, registered N72249, was destroyed in an accident near Alamo, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AIRPLANE'S COLLISION WITH TREES AND TERRAIN DURING AN ATTEMPTED FORCED LANDING AT NIGHT FOLLOWING AN ENGINE FAIURE. THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY FUEL STARVATION AS A RESULT OF A FAULTY FUEL SYSTEM WHICH THE OPERATOR HAD FAILED TO CORRECT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 1988 · about 1:13 am local time
- Place
- Alamo, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206D · all TU206Ds on the register
- Registration
- N72249 · no longer on the register · serial U206-1331
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER ENTERING U.S. AIR SPACE, THE PLT (A MEXICAN NATIONAL) CANCELED HIS DVFR FLT PLAN. ABOUT 9 MIN LATER, HE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY & SAID THE ENG HAD LOST POWER. DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT NIGHT, THE ACFT HIT TREES & CRASHED.ACCORDING TO AN FAA FORM 337, AUX FUEL TANKS HAD BEEN INSTALLED IAW STC SA2479WE. HOWEVER, THE INSTALLATION WAS NOT DOCUMENTED IN THE LOG BOOKS; THE WT & BALANCE INFO WAS NOT REVISED & THE FUEL SELECTOR & GAUGES WERE NOT PLACARDED TO REFLECT THE INCREASED CAPACITY. THE PLT RPRTD HE WAS CHANGING FUEL TANKS WHEN THE ENG DEVELOPED A 'VAPOR LOCK' & WOULD NOT RESTART. HE STATED THE 'VAPOR LOCK' PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED ON PREVIOUS FLTS, BUT HE HAD ALWAYS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN RESTARTING THE ENG. ADDITIONALLY, HE SAID THE PROBLEM HAD NOT MANIFESTED ITSELF PRIOR TO INSTALLATION OF THE AUX TANKS. AN EXAM OF THE TANKS REVEALED NO BOOST PUMPS OR TRANSFER PUMPS WERE INSTALLED. APRX 12.5 GAL OF FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE ACFT; UNUSABLE FUEL WAS 7 GAL. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE LEFT TANK & OFF POSITIONS.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,656 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1988; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MTMX Tampico
- Destination: MFE Mcallen TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 am from MFE, 8 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.