Cessna 172M accident near Bulverde, Texas, February 4, 1998
On February 4, 1998 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N13711, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bulverde, Texas (Bulverde airport). It was a personal 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
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper glidepath following a total electrical failure resulting from an inoperative voltage regulator. Factors were the dark night conditions, the pilot's lack of experience in night flying, and the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 1998 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Bulverde, Texas · Bulverde · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N13711 · registry record · serial 17262758
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the dark night landing approach for runway 34, following a total electrical system failure, the airplane struck trees. The pilot was on a lower glidepath and a higher airspeed than when using flaps (electric). The pilot planned the descent to touch down just beyond the threshold lights to allow as much runway as possible for a faster than normal landing. The pilot had 4.4 hours of night flight time. An examination of the electrical system revealed that the voltage regulator was not operating properly. Maintenance history for the electrical system components is unknown.
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
- Flight time: 118 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,822 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 21, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5C1 Boerne TX
- Destination: 11XS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 330° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°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.