Cessna 320B accident near Rockport, Texas, May 27, 1998
On May 27, 1998 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna 320B, registered N986J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rockport, Texas (Aransas County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 airspeed during a go around which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Factors were the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model aircraft, his failure to follow the before landing checklist, and his improper use of the powerplant controls.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 1998 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Rockport, Texas · Aransas County Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320B · all 320Bs on the register
- Registration
- N986J · no longer on the register · serial 320B0020
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The twin-engine Cessna 320B airplane impacted two parked, unoccupied, single engine airplanes following a loss of control during a go around. When the airplane was on short final approximately 40 feet agl, the pilot initiated a go around. He first advanced the throttles and then the propeller controls. According to the pilot, the engines seemed to 'bog down' and then the right engine seemed to clear first or to produce more power than the left engine. The airplane began to bank to the left and lose airspeed and altitude. The pilot stated that he 'did not have sufficient time or altitude to correct the situation,' and the airplane impacted a taxiway with its nose and left wing and slid onto a ramp where it collided with two parked airplanes. Advancing the propeller controls to the high rpm position was the fifth item listed in the 'Before Landing' checklist in the Cessna 320B owner's manual. The pilot had a total of 15 hours flight time in multiengine airplanes of which 4.3 hours were in the Cessna 320B.
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, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,345 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 111 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 1,284 as pilot in command; 1,038 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,988 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 19, 1997; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RKP at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 4,350 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.