Amateur-built VOLKSPLANE-1 accident near Woodbranch, Texas, July 11, 1991
On July 11, 1991, a amateur-built VOLKSPLANE-1, registered N37898, was destroyed in an accident near Woodbranch, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE AIRPLANE'S COLLISION WITH TREES FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1991
- Place
- Woodbranch, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VOLKSPLANE-1 VOLKSPLANE
- Registration
- N37898 · no longer on the register · serial KM1-65
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE CIRCLING ABOVE TREES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND SOME OF THE WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY HEARD THE ENGINE 'SPUTTERING.' THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES, ROLLED INVERTED, AND SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A 45 DEGREE NOSE DOWN, WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE. NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT AIRFRAME FAILURE WAS FOUND AND NO DETERMINATION WAS MADE AS TO ENGINE OPERATION AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT HAD LOGGED ABOUT 12 HOURS IN THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE, ONE OF WHICH WAS IN THE 90 DAYS PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT.
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: 219 hours in all; 12 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 560 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-145-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9SX2 Porter TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.