Piper PA-24-250 accident near Van Horn, Texas, December 27, 1994
On December 27, 1994 at about 11:18 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N8112P, was destroyed in an accident near Van Horn, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain proper altitude. Factors were reduced light conditions, clouds, and the pilot's premature descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 1994 · about 11:18 pm local time
- Place
- Van Horn, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N8112P · registry record · serial 3362
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER PASSING THROUGH EL PASO, TEXAS, CLASS C AIRSPACE AT 6,500 FEET MSL, THE PILOT CONTACTED THE FBO AT PECOS, TX, AND REPORTED HE WAS '20 MINUTES OUT' AND REQUESTED THAT THE FBO REMAIN THERE UNTIL HE LANDED BECAUSE HE NEEDED TO PURCHASE FUEL. THE AIRPLANE NEVER ARRIVED. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED BY ELT SIGNAL THE NEXT MORNING IN HILLY TERRAIN AT THE 5,700 FOOT LEVEL, 57 MILES WEST OF PECOS. AT THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, DARKNESS WAS APPROACHING. WEATHER SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS REVEALED SOME CLOUD COVER IN THE VICINITY AND AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. ELEVATION AT THE PECOS AIRPORT WAS 2,617 FEET MSL.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,001 hours in all; 1,508 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,253 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,468 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 7, 1994; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TUC Tucson AZ at 8:58 pm
- Destination: PEQ Pecos TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,800 ft; scat at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from ELP, 92 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.