Cessna 182 accident near Robstown, Texas, March 3, 1989
On March 3, 1989 at about 4:24 am local time, a Cessna 182, registered N735EZ, was destroyed in an accident near Robstown, Texas (Nueges County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT DELAYED FLIGHT TO AN ALTERNATE DESTINATION, CONTINUED FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), EXPERIENCED SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, AND LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION, HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, DARK NIGHT, AND WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 1989 · about 4:24 am local time
- Place
- Robstown, Texas · Nueges County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N735EZ · no longer on the register · serial 18265378
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT CONTACTED APCH CONTROL & RPRTD HE WAS VFR-ON-TOP WITH A LOW FUEL CONDITION. HE WAS RADAR VECTORED TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT DSCNDD & RPRTD HE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT, BUT ONLY INTERMITTENTLY THRU THE CLOUDS & FOG. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED NEAR THE ARPT. APRX 750 LBS OF MARIJUANA WAS FOUND ABOARD THE ACFT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND DRG THE INVESTIGATION.
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: 4,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hampton Inns Developement CORP
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:44 am from CRP, 10 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.