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FTW85LA316

1985-08-12 · MCALLEN, Texas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MFE

N714DM has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (TALOS DRONES TALOS T60X), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE ACFT LOST ENG PWR WHILE ON DOWNWIND FOR RWY 12. THE PLT WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON ANY RWY AND HE CHOSE RWY 36. (THE SOUTH END OF THIS RWY JOINS RWY 13 AT MIDFIELD). HOWEVER, A STRONG TAIL WIND PREVAILED AND THE ACFT WAS HIGH AND FAST. IT TOUCHED DOWN ON RWY 36, BOUNCED, OVERSHOT THE RWY, AND HIT THREE PALM TREES BEFORE COMING TO REST IN AN AUTOMOBILE PARKING LOT 300 FT BEYOND THE DEPARTURE END OF RWY 36. THE ACFT REPORTEDLY HAD SAT IDLE FOR ABOUT 15 MONTHS BEFORE ITS RECENT PURCHASE BY THE PRESENT OWNERS. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT'S FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED CONTAMINATION BY WATER AND A SOFT CHALKY LIKE UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE WHICH HAD BLOCKED SOME OF THE FUEL PASSAGES IN THE ACFT'S CARBURETOR. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1985_FTW85LA316.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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