Piper PA-34 accident near Tomball, Texas, December 5, 1989
On December 5, 1989 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-34, registered N8426B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tomball, Texas (David Wayne Hooks 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
COLLAPSE OF THE NOSE GEAR FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 1989 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tomball, Texas · David Wayne Hooks · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34 · all PA-34s on the register
- Registration
- N8426B · no longer on the register · serial 34-8133194
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS WAS A COMBINATION PERSONAL, BUSINESS & INSTRUCTIONAL FLT. THE INSTRUCTOR PLT (CFI) WAS IN THE RGT FRONT SEAT & THE OTHER PLT (WITH SINGLE/MULTI-ENG, COMMERCIAL RATINGS) WAS IN THE LEFT FRONT SEAT. ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE PLTS, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AS THE ACFT WAS ON THE TAKEOFF ROLL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT IMPACTED A RWY LIGHT & A TAXIWAY INDICATOR, CROSSED A TAXIWAY & HIT A DITCH. WHEN THE TAXIWAY INDICATOR LIGHT STRUCTURE WAS HIT, THE LEFT WING WAS DAMAGED & IT ERUPTED WITH FIRE. NO REASON WAS FOUND FOR THE NOSE GEAR TO RETRACT OR COLLAPSE.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,083 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 126 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 1,883 as pilot in command; 1,017 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,662 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 30, 1989; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental L/TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DWH at 11:30 pm
- Destination: HOU Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 7,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.