Beech A36 accident near Plano, Texas, March 7, 1993
On March 7, 1993 at about 1:15 am local time, a Beech A36, registered N6088S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plano, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FUEL STARVATION INDUCED POWER LOSS RESULTANT FROM FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO SWITCH THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE PROPER FUEL TANK. FACTORS WERE THE DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS AND LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 1993 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Plano, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N6088S · no longer on the register · serial E-785
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD FLOWN APPROXIMATELY 2.65 HOURS AND WAS RETURNING TO THE AIRPORT WHERE HE HAD RENTED THE AIRPLANE WHEN A POWER LOSS OCCURRED. HE STATED THAT HE SWITCHED FUEL TANKS AND THE ENGINE MOMENTARILY RESTARTED THEN QUIT AGAIN. THE AIRPLANE'S RECORDED ALTITUDE WAS 2,500 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED. DURING THE EMERGENCY DESCENT HE MANEUVERED OVER POWERLINES THEN LANDED IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A DIRT MOUND AND A CEMENT CULVERT. THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS FOUND EMPTY. THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS FULL, BUT LEAKED DURING THE NIGHT UNTIL THE RECOVERY TEAM ARRIVED. ELEVEN GALLONS OF FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE RIGHT TANK. THE ENGINE WAS TEST RUN USING THE FUEL FROM THE RIGHT TANK. NO ANOMALIES WERE NOTED TO THE ENGINE. DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS PREVAILED
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 386 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 274 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,649 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 11, 1992; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Centerline Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MSA Mt. Pleasant TX
- Destination: ADS Addison TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 am from ADS, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N6088S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.