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FTW92FA015

1991-10-27 · COTULLA, Texas, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport COT

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, AND A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WHICH RESULTED IN PARTIAL FAILURE OF THE INSTRUMENT LIGHTS AND A MALFUNCTION OF THE AUTOPILOT.

Factual narrative

THE PLT TOOK OFF ON A DARK NIGHT FROM RWY 13, WHICH HAD FEW VISUAL REFERENCES OFF THE DEP END. HE RPRTD THAT AFTER CLIMBING TO ABOUT 800 TO 1000 FT, THERE WAS A LOSS OF INSTRUMENT LIGHTING FOR THE HSI, ATTITUDE INDCR, ALTIMETER & VERTICAL SPEED INDCR. THE PSGR (HIS WIFE) HELD A FLASHLIGHT IN AN ATTEMPT TO ILLUMINATE THE EFFECTED INSTRUMENTS. HE ENGAGED THE HEADING HOLD (2 TIMES) & THE ACFT ENTERED A STEEP DSCNDG LEFT TURN. REALIZING THE ACFT HAD ENTERED A STEEP DSCNT, HE PULLED THE YOKE AFT, BUT THE ACFT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED, BUT THE PSGR NOTIFIED THE ARPT MANAGER OF THE ACDNT & A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. DRG THE INVESTIGATION, NO DISCREPANCY WITH THE AUTOPLT WAS VERIFIED, BUT A SHORT WAS FOUND AT A SPLICE IN THE INSTRUMENT LIGHTING SYSTEM. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_FTW92FA015.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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