# Accident 20050428006129A: Cessna 172I, Midland, TX, April 28, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 28, 2005, 08:55 local time
- Place: Midland, TX
- Airport: Skywest Inc Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 31.8503° N, 102.0106° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.8503&lon=-102.0106&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8314L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8314L-2005-07-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172I (registry code 2072426, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172i) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172I
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 10,000 total, 1,500 in this make and model, 182 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DFW05FA111](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05FA111) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050428006129A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON APRIL 28, 2005, N8314L, A CESSNA CE-172-I, WITH TWO PILOTS ABOARD, DEPARTED THE SKYWEST AIRPORT (7T7), NEAR MIDLAND, TEXAS, AT APPROXIMATELY 0715 CDT, FOR A VFR AERIAL PATROL UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO PROVIDE AERIAL SURVEILLANCE OF PETROLEUM PIPELINES AND OIL EQUIPMENT, AND REPORT ANY LEAKS TO THE APPROPRIATE OIL COMPANY. THERE WAS NO FLIGHT PLAN ON FILE FOR THE VFR FLIGHT, NOR WAS THE PILOT COMMUNICATING WITH ATC. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. AT APPROXIMATELY 0930 CDT, AN AIRCRAFT INBOUND FOR LANDING AT THE MIDLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MAF), REPORTED HEARING AN EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTER (ELT) TO MAF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC). AT 1307 CDT, APPROXIMATELY, A PILOT CONDUCTING AERIAL PIPELINE PATROL NOTIFIED MAF APPROACH CONTROL OF AN AIRCRAFT IN A FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND IN A REMOTE FIELD LOCATED AT LATITUDE N 31-43.767 AND LONGITUDE W 101-52.512. BOTH PILOTS WERE FATALLY INJURED IN THE CRASH. THE AIRCRAFT APPARENTLY STRUCK THE GROUND IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE WRECKAGE AND DEBRIS WERE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE POINT OF INITIAL IMPACT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DFW05FA111](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05FA111), Apr 28, 2005: Cessna 172 (N8314L), Midland, TX, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. A contributing factor was the low altitude.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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