Douglas DC-3 N711Y
31 December 1985 · Dekalb, Texas, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 31 December 1985 at about 23:14 local time, a Douglas DC-3 registered N711Y, operated by Rick Nelson, was involved in an accident near Dekalb, Texas, United States. 9 people were on board and 7 died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 23:14
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Dekalb, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.5009, -94.6092
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-3
- Registration
- N711Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Rick Nelson
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Executive/Corporate
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Guntersville → Dallas
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DCA86AA012
People
7 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AT 1708:48, WHILE CRUISING AT 6000', A PILOT OF N711Y ADVISED ATC, 'I THINK I'D LIKE TO TURN AROUND, HEAD FOR TEXARKANA HERE, I'VE GOT A LITTLE PROBLEM.' HE WAS PROVIDED A VECTOR & ADVISED OF CLOSEST AIRPORTS. SHORTLY AFTER, HE STATED HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO REACH THE AIRPORTS. AT 1711:49, HE SAID THERE WAS SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. WHILE LANDING IN A FIELD AT 1714, THE AIRCRAFT HIT WIRES & A POLE THEN CONTINUED INTO TREES WHERE IT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED BY IMPACT & FIRE. THE CREW EGRESSED THRU THE COCKPIT WINDOWS. THE PASSENGERS DID NOT ESCAPE. DURING FLIGHT, THE CREW WAS UNABLE TO START THE CABIN HEATER; DESPITE REPEATED ATTEMPTS BY THE CAPTAIN. SMOKE THEN ENTERED THE CABIN. FRESH AIR VENTS & COCKPIT WINDOWS WERE OPENED, BUT SMOKE BECAME DENSE. THE CREW HAD DIFFICULTY SEEING. THE OXYGEN SYSTEM & HAND HELD FIRE EXTINGUISHERS WERE NOT USED. FASTENERS FOR THE HEATER DOOR WERE FOUND UNFASTENED. EXAMINATION INDICATED THE FIRE ORIGINATED IN THE AFTCABIN AREA, RIGHT HAND SIDE, AT OR NEAR THE FLOOR LINE. THE IGNITION AND FUEL SOURCES WERE NOT DETERMINED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Douglas DC-3 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Jun 1985 | Douglas DC-3 | King Salmon, Alaska, United States | William C. Crawford | No injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 1985 | Douglas DC-3 | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | Bo-S-Aire Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 Feb 1984 | Douglas DC-3 | Miami, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jul 1986 | Douglas DC-3 | Isla Verde | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Jan 1983 | Douglas DC-3 | Bay City, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Nov 1983 | Douglas DC-3-3C | Laredo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 1985 | Robinson R-22 | Dallas, Texas, United States | W. N. Cope | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 1985 | Cessna T210N | Mineral Wells, Texas, United States | Executive Air Charter, Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 1985 | Rockwell S-2R | Olton, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1985 | Lockheed L-1011-385-1 | Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 134 |
| 19 Jun 1985 | Swearingen SA-26AT | Rocksprings, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jun 1985 | Cessna 150 | Temple, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |