Cessna T188C N3963J

Summary

On 5 July 1998 at about 13:00 local time, a Cessna T188C registered N3963J was involved in an accident near Weslaco, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 July 1998 at 13:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Weslaco, Texas, United States

Coordinates

26.1592, -97.9803

Aircraft

Cessna T188C

Registration

N3963J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Tegucigalpa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA293

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane landed on the previous afternoon on the first overnight stop of the ferry flight to South America. The airplane was topped off for the next day's scheduled flight to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. A witness observed a similar airplane depart two minutes ahead of the accident airplane. She noticed that the heavily loaded airplane broke ground fairly quick and established a good rate of climb after takeoff. The same witness observed the accident airplane takeoff and initiate a climb. The witness stated that she immediately noted a marked decrease in performance in the second airplane. The witness reported that the airplane failed to gain altitude after a rather long takeoff roll. The private pilot reported that the airplane landed hard in a rough and uneven field. Both main landing gear were torn off at the initial point of ground impact. The airplane came to rest in the upright position. The fuel on board was found to be free of contaminants. The pilot told the FAA inspector at the site that he suspected that either the turbocharger failed, or the propeller was not in low pitch/high rpm position. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.