# Accident 20250316013049A: Cessna 172S, Rusk, TX, March 16, 2025 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: March 16, 2025, 11:58 local time - Place: Rusk, TX - Airport: Cherokee County - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Landing: Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Operator: K9YS - Location: 31.8688° N, 95.2170° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.8688&lon=-95.2170&mi=10 - Aircraft: N52243, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N52243-2026-05-16) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S - Reported engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 185 total, 185 in this make and model, 41 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN25LA128](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA128) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250316013049A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON MARCH 16, 2025 AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE PILOT REPORTED A STRONG WIND ON LANDING RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND SUBSEQENTLY, CLASSIFIED AS DESTROYED. DURING THE PILOT INTERVIEW, HE REPORTS; THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT WAS NORMAL TO KJSO. IN PREPERATION TO LAND- ALL LANDING PROCEDURES WERE FOLLOWED ACCORDINGLY, NO CONTROL INPUTS WERE MADE BY THE PASSENGER APART FROM WHILE THEY WERE IN CRUISE, FIRST NOTCH OF FLAPS WAS PUT IN AFTER REDUCING THE POWER BEFORE THE TURN FROM DOWNWIND TO BASE. APPROACH WAS STABLE ALL THE WAY TO THE RUNWAY. ON FINAL, ADDITIONAL FLAPS WERE INPUT AND THE APPROACH WAS STABLE. DURING FLARE, LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, IT PULLED TOWARDS THE RIGHT FIRST AND THEN TOWARDS THE LEFT. HE STATES THAT HE EXPERIENCED A GUST OF WIND. HE ATTEMPTED TO GET THE AIRCRAFT UNDER CONTROL BUT IT STILL DID NOT FEEL SAFE ENOUGH TO TOUCHDOWN SO HE CHOSE TO GO AROUND RIGHT BEFORE THE WHEELS TOUCHED, FULL POWER IN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ORIENTED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. HE WAS HEADED TOWARDS THE LINE OF TREES TO THE LEFT, WITH POWER. HE DID NOT PUT THE FLAPS UP BECAUSE HE FELT HE WOULDN’T HAVE ENOUGH DISTANCE TO CLEAR THE TREES. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT GAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED AND APPROACHED THE LINE OF TREES, HE PITCHED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID THE TREES, BUT DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER, RESULTING IN A STALL AT/ON FENCE LINE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT ON-SCENE, NO OBVIOUS DEFECTS WERE NOTED THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POSITIVE FLIGHT CONTROL PRIOR TO ACCIDENT. FUEL WAS EVIDENT DURING INSPECTION AND DISCOVERED AT TIME OF ACCIDENT BY BOTH PILOT AND GROUND CREWS. FUEL SELECTOR WAS DISCOVERED IN OFF POSITION BUT PILOT NOTED TURING THIS OFF PRIOR TO EXTRACATION. ENGINE OIL WAS PRESENT AND ENGINE SHOWED SIGNED OF POWER AT TIME OF ACCIDENT. BOTH LH AND RH AILERONS AND LH AND RH ELEVATORS HAD POSITIVE CONTINUITY WITH YOKE. THE RH FLAP WAS FOUND TO BE IN THE FULL DOWN POSITION DUE TO THE SNAPPING OF THE FLAP CABLE AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT. THE RH FLAP WAS FOUND TO BE EXTENDED. FLAP HANDLE WAS FOUND TO BE IN THE 20 DEGREE DENTENT. BOTH WINGS WERE FOUND WITH SIGNIFICANT DOWNWARDS BENDS AT THE TIPS RESULTING IN THE INABILITY OF BOTH PILOT AND COPILOT DOOR OPERATION. THE LH WING WAS SEPERATED AFT. THE ENGINE WAS SNAPPED FROM ITS MOUNTS AND THE FIREWALL WAS DEFORMED. FUESELAGE DEFORMATION EXTENDED THE LENGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT. BOTH LH AND RH TIRES WERE FOUND TO BE INFLATED WHILE THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS BENT INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, ALTHOUGH TIRE INFLATED. THE FRONT WINDSCREEN WAS NINETY PERCENT DAMAGED AND SEPERATED. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL HAD SIGNS OF SIGNIFICANT DEFORMATIONS EXTENDING INTO THE COCKPIT. PROPS BOTH BENT AND NOSE SPINNER CRUSHED. MAINTENANCE DOCUMENTS WERE INSPECTED AT OPERATORS’ FACILITY. ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS WERE FOUND TO BE CURRENT AND ACCURATE. ## 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 CEN25LA128](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA128), Mar 16, 2025: Cessna 172S (N52243), Rusk, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control and adequate airspeed during the go-around, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain. ## Other reports on N52243 (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20190129009682A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190129009682A), Jan 29, 2019: Cessna 172S (N52243), Grand Prairie, TX, Substantial damage. On January 29, 2019 at approximately 1330 local time, a Cessna 172S registration number N52243 collided with a Cessna 172S registration number N565SP while in… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.