Piper PA-38-112 accident near Falfurrias, Texas, January 19, 1996
On January 19, 1996 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N598Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Falfurrias, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel starvation due to the pilot's improper positioning of the fuel selector. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 1996 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Falfurrias, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N598Z · no longer on the register · serial 38-79A0353
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot departed Brownsville, Texas for a solo cross-country flight that took him to Corpus Christi, Texas for 'touch and go's', and then to Rockport, Texas for a full-stop landing. The aircraft was refueled in Rockport and the flight continued to Alice, Texas for a full-stop landing. Approximately 25 minutes into the final leg of the cross-country flight from Alice to Brownsville, the engine lost power. When emergency procedures to restore engine power were unsuccessful, a forced landing was made into a field with soft soil. Examination of the aircraft revealed that the left fuel tank was empty and the right tank was full. The fuel selector was found in the left position.
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: student
- Flight time: 125 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,798 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 22, 1995; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Training Systems, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ALI Alice TX at 9:35 pm
- Destination: BRO Brownsville TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.