Maule M-5-210C accident near Cypress, Texas, November 18, 1995
On November 18, 1995 at about 1:09 am local time, a Maule M-5-210C, registered N51593, was destroyed in an accident near Cypress, Texas. It was a personal 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 failure to maintain aircraft control while flying in instrument meteorological conditions. Factors were the weather, and the failure of the airplane's vacuum pump which rendered the attitude indicator and the directional gyro inoperative.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 1995 · about 1:09 am local time
- Place
- Cypress, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-210C · all M-5-210Cs on the register
- Registration
- N51593 · no longer on the register · serial 6035C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot received three separate weather briefings of forecasted IFR conditions in the 6 hours prior to his departure. While flying in instrument meteorological conditions en route to Conroe, Texas, the pilot reported to Houston Approach Control that 'I lost my gyros.' No-gyro vectors were given to the pilot by Houston Approach Control in an attempt to align the airplane for an ILS approach to runway 8 at Houston Intercontinental Airport. The pilot lost control of the airplane and it impacted the ground. The weather conditions at David Wayne Hooks Municipal Airport, which is 10 nautical miles north east of the accident site, at 1850 CST were estimated ceiling 500 feet AGL overcast, visibility 1 mile with fog, temperature of 57 degrees, dew point of 56 degrees with, winds at 070 degrees at 6 knots, and an altimeter setting of 30.17 inches. Examination of the vacuum pump input shaft by NTSB metallurgist revealed that the shaft failed as a result of sudden stoppage of the vacuum pump.
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: 1,400 hours in all; 13 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 992 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 1995; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAT San Antonio TX at 11:26 pm
- Destination: CXO Conroe TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; ovct at 500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.