Beech BE-35M accident near Tomball, Texas, April 28, 1990
On April 28, 1990 at about 7:41 pm local time, a Beech BE-35M, registered N1ZY, 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; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO DETONATION AND SUBSEQUENT PISTON OVERTEMPERATURE AND EROSION. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1990 · about 7:41 pm local time
- Place
- Tomball, Texas · David Wayne Hooks · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-35M
- Registration
- N1ZY · registry record · serial D-6362
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE AND A DITCH DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NO. 5 PISTON WAS SEVERELY HEAT ERODED WITH PIECES MISSING. THE EROSION ALLOWED EXHAUST VENTING (BLOW BY) INTO THE CASE. THERE WAS SOME EVIDENCE OF PRE-IGNITION ON THE OTHER PISTONS' BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT AS ON NO. 5. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE WAS 17 HOURS OUT OF A MAJOR OVERHAUL AND HAD BEEN USING AUTO GAS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. IT APPEARED THAT THE PISTON EROSION HAD OCCURRED OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
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: 814 hours in all; 335 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 756 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,630 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 12, 1989; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DWH at 7:00 pm
- Destination: DWH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from DWH, 1 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW90LA103.