Cessna 172 accident near Bastrop, Texas, March 3, 1989
On March 3, 1989 at about 6:15 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N7407T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bastrop, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND PREPARATION BY THE PILOT WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE LOW CEILINGS AND FOG.
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 6:15 am local time
- Place
- Bastrop, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7407T · no longer on the register · serial 47007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT RECEIVED TWO WEATHER BRIEFINGS AND WAS TOLD VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. HE FLEW TO TWO TOWNS WHICH WERE BOTH IFR, THEN TO ANOTHER, WHERE HE LET DOWN THROUGH THE CLOUDS. HE WAS CIRCLING A TOWN, WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. DURING THE FORCED LANDING ROLL, THE AIRPLANE RAN INTO TREES.
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: 620 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,921 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 4, 1988; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 30F Dallas TX at 1:30 am
- Destination: HRL Harlingen TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
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.