Amateur-built XP-23 HAWK accident near Joshua, Texas, September 26, 1995
On September 26, 1995 at about 11:50 pm local time, a amateur-built XP-23 HAWK, registered N3990U, was destroyed in an accident near Joshua, 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 pilot's failure to see and avoid the wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1995 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Joshua, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built XP-23 HAWK
- Registration
- N3990U · registry record · serial 400
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During takeoff, witnesses reported that the airplane's engine sounded rough. The airplane climbed steeply to approximately 1,500 to 2,000 feet above the ground, and the engine no longer sounded rough. The airplane then circled back around to the north end of the field maintaining altitude as if the pilot was planning to land or do a fly-by for the camera. As the airplane lined up with the runway it appeared too low to clear the wires. Just before the airplane hit the wire, one witness reported that he heard the power increase. An examination of airplane and engine did not reveal any anomalies. A friend of the pilot who was familiar with the airplane stated that visibility from the cockpit was poor.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 11:47 pm
- Destination: FWS Burleson TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from FTW, 22 miles away
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.