Cessna 172N accident near Bacliff, Texas, November 24, 1998
On November 24, 1998 at about 5:01 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4908D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bacliff, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his inability to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from the wire. Contributing to the accident were the fog, low ceilings and his lack of instrument time.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1998 · about 5:01 pm local time
- Place
- Bacliff, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4908D · no longer on the register · serial 17272393
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a local VFR flight, the non-instrument rated private pilot encountered instrument meteorological conditions, and subsequently, the airplane collided with power lines and terrain. At the time of departure, the weather conditions at the airport were visibility 5 miles in mist and ceiling broken at 2,200 feet. About 7 minutes after the airplane's departure, the local controller noted that a fog bank was moving towards the airport from the southeast. About 17 minutes after departure, the airplane collided with 120-foot high power lines approximately 10 miles southeast of the airport. The collision severed the left wing, and the airplane then impacted on a road and slid into a ditch. Witnesses reported that it was 'very foggy' when the accident occurred. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical discrepancies that would have prevented normal operation. The pilot had 124 hours total flight time, of which 2.3 hours were under simulated instrument conditions.
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: 124 hours in all; 124 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 75 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,560 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 29, 1998; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EFD Houston TX at 4:44 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from GLS, 15 miles away
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.