# Accident 20181221022049A: Cessna 172M, Abilene, TX, December 21, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 21, 2018, 11:45 local time
- Place: Abilene, TX
- Airport: Abilene Regional Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.2600° N, 99.5664° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.2600&lon=-99.5664&mi=10
- Aircraft: N254RA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N254RA) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172M (registry code 2072418, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172M
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,900 total, 2,419 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN19LA070](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19LA070) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20181221022049A

## Narrative

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

ON DECEMBER 21, 2018, AT APPROXIMATELY 1130 CDT, N254RA, A CESSNA C172M WAS CONDUCTING PIPELINE PATROL APPROXIMATELY 12 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ABILENE, TEXAS.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED ON A BUSINESS FLIGHT.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE LEFT OUTER WING.  THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM TEMPLE, TEXAS ON DECEMBER 21, 2018 AT APPROXIMATELY 0730 CDT.

## 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 CEN19LA070](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19LA070), Dec 21, 2018: Cessna 172 (N254RA), Abilene, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to see and avoid a cell tower wire during a pipeline patrol flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's distraction due to writing down observations about the pipeline…

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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