Cessna 337G accident near Notrees, Texas, March 29, 1990
On March 29, 1990 at about 6:07 pm local time, a Cessna 337G, registered N1886M, was destroyed in an accident near Notrees, Texas. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S DECISION TO CONTINUE VFR FLIGHT INTO KNOWN IMC.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 1990 · about 6:07 pm local time
- Place
- Notrees, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337G · all 337Gs on the register
- Registration
- N1886M · no longer on the register · serial 33701486
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING, THE PILOT WAS INFORMED THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. HE DEPARTED IN VFR CONDITIONS WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS 29 MILES FROM THE DESTINATION, IT IMPACTED A 400 FT TALL ANTENNA TOWER, 60 FEET FROM THE TOP. AS THE AIRPLANE WENT FORWARD AND DOWN, THE TOWER COLLAPSED IN MANY DIRECTIONS. THE AIRPLANE WAS DEMOLISHED AND THE PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. NO PRE-IMPACT PROBLEMS WERE FOUND WITH THE AIRPLANE OR ENGINES. A WITNESS THAT WAS 10 MILES NORTH OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, SAID THE AREA HAD BEEN TOTALLY FOGGED IN, BUT THAT JUST BEFORE THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THE FOG HAD STARTED TO LIFT ENOUGH SO HE COULD SEE UNDER THE FOG.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,100 hours in all; 100 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,258 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELP El Paso TX at 5:15 pm
- Destination: MAF Midland TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 16 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from MAF, 38 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.