Piper PA-36-285 accident near Texhoma, Texas, June 4, 1993
On June 4, 1993 at about 2:40 am local time, a Piper PA-36-285, registered N57592, was destroyed in an accident near Texhoma, 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 FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. FACTORS WERE THE WEATHER, THE DARK NIGHT, THE AIRPLANE'S LACK OF FLIGHT AND NAVIGATIONAL EQUIPMENT, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 1993 · about 2:40 am local time
- Place
- Texhoma, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-285 · all PA-36-285s on the register
- Registration
- N57592 · no longer on the register · serial 36-7560125
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT WAS FERRYING THE AGRICULTURAL AIRPLANE BACK TO HOME BASE ON A DARK NIGHT FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF UNSCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AT A NEARBY AIRPORT. HE FLEW INTO IMC 10 MILES SHORT OF HIS DESTINATION. A MAGNETIC COMPASS AND THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR WERE THE ONLY FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS INSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE. CONTROL WAS LOST AFTER THE PILOT EXPERIENCED SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TERRAIN AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUTE IN A RIGHT 90 DEGREE BANK. A PILOT AT THE POINT OF DEPARTURE REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE HEADED INTO AN ANVIL TYPE CUMULONIMBUS CLOUD WITH SEVERE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,922 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 1,868 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,747 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 1993; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BGD Borger TX at 2:05 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:40 am
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.