20230212002219A

On 2/12/2023 at 1711 CST, a Cessna 172H, s/n 17256138, was departing on runway 9 at Dunham Field Airport, 1XS1, Crosby, TX., when the aircraft came into contact with a moving railroad car approximately 260’ from the end of the runway. The aircraft came to rest in an inverted position approximately 30’ after impacting the train. The bottom section of the fuselage showed heavy impact and compression damage from the forward firewall aft to the baggage compartment; the empennage aft of the baggage compartment, horizontal stabilizer and vertical stabilizer remained intact. The wings remained relatively intact, with impact damage on the outboard left-hand wing and wing tip fairing; the wing flaps were found to be in the 0° position. There was evidence of fuel leaking from the left-hand wing; no fuel was noted leaking from the right-hand wing. It was noted that the cockpit fuel selector was found to be in the right-hand tank position. The right-hand wing fuel tank sump drain was removed and it was determined that there was approximately 2” of fuel in the tank. The passenger (private pilot) indicated that there were 15 gallons of fuel onboard prior to the attempted takeoff. The nose landing gear was torn from the forward firewall and came to rest approximately 15’ in front of the fuselage. The right-hand main landing gear and tire assembly were detached from the fuselage and found inside of the impacted rail car. The engine mount remained attached to the forward firewall however, the engine was separated from the engine mounts. The propeller exhibited impact damage, with bending and twisting signatures; the tips of both blades were missing. On the same day, prior to the attempted flight, the aircraft had flown from kiws to khpy to 1XS1. The aircraft was attempting to return to iws. The C-172H aircraft was being operated as a 14 CFR part 91 flight. The pilot-in-command received serious injuries; the passenger (private pilot) received minor injuries.

The pilot stated that he was attempting to takeoff on runway 9, deciding to perform a soft field takeoff in ground effect, due to the bumpy, soft surface, which seemed to impede his speed. Just past the halfway point, he noticed a slow build-up of speed, but determined that aborting the takeoff didn’t seem possible at that point. He stated he attempted to gain enough altitude to clear the train, but the wheels just clipped the top of one of the railcars. The owner of the airfield stated that the height of the grass on the day of the accident was ankle high. The weather reported at kiah at 122253Z 23003KT 10SM FEW180 few 250 18/03 A3010.

Post-accident examination of the aircraft by representatives of the FAA, NTSB and Textron confirmed flight control continuity, fuel system integrity and that the engine was producing power. The aircraft records indicate that the last airframe, engine and propeller annual inspections were completed at airframe total time: 4667.2 on 02/02/2022. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated approximately 149 hours since the last annual inspection.

When the NTSB report and any other additional information become available, this report will be amended as necessary.