Piper PA-30 accident near Georgetown, Texas, January 6, 1995
On January 6, 1995 at about 1:54 am local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N8398Y, was destroyed in an accident near Georgetown, Texas. It was a positioning 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
LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH ENGINES AND LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 1995 · about 1:54 am local time
- Place
- Georgetown, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N8398Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-1142
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ON A FLIGHT FROM FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS TO LAREDO, TEXAS. WHILE EN ROUTE, HE AIR-FILED AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES (IFR) FLIGHT PLAN, RECEIVED AN IFR CLEARANCE NEAR TEMPLE, TEXAS, AND REPORTED LEVEL AT 6000 FEET MSL. LATER, A FAINT 'MAYDAY' CALL WAS HEARD BY A SOUTHWEST AIRLINE PILOT, WHICH WAS REPORTED TO AUSTIN APPROACH CONTROL. APPROACH CONTROL LOST RADAR CONTACT AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE AIRPLANE. AT ABOUT 0830 THE NEXT MORNING, THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF GEORGETOWN, TEXAS, WHERE IT HAD IMPACTED THE TERRAIN IN A VERTICAL DESCENT. NEITHER OF THE PROPELLERS EXHIBITED TWISTING, TIP DAMAGE, OR ROTATIONAL SCARRING. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINES DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY ANOMALIES THAT COULD ACCOUNT FOR A LOSS OF POWER. A MEDICAL OFFICER (FOR TRAVIS COUNTY) REPORTED THAT IN HIS OPINION, THE PILOT MAY HAVE SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,600 hours in all; 81 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 8,250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,152 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 2, 1994; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FSM Fort Smith AR
- Destination: LRD Laredo TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- 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.