# NTSB CEN19LA113: Cessna 172, N494JB, Spring, TX, March 28, 2019 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: March 28, 2019, 15:45 local (20:45 UTC) - Place: Spring, TX - Coordinates: 30.061666, -95.55278 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.0617&lon=-95.5528&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Taxi-to runway: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - Houston FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 99203 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN19LA113 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/99203/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=99203 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19LA113 ## Probable cause The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane directional control while taxiing at an unsafe ground speed. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: surface speed/braking](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062045): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Incorrect use/operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172S, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062045/cases.md?model=2072439), [All aircraft, 238 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062045/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172S, 206 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=2072439), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Taxi-to runway: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172S, 77 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=2072439), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) - [Taxi-to runway: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna 172S, 118 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2072439), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot was taxiing the airplane to the runway to depart on a personal flight when the airplane veered to the right and the right main landing gear descended into a drainage ditch. The pilot and the passenger were not injured. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were substantially damaged. In a postaccident statement, the pilot reported no anomalies with the wheel brake system before she began taxiing the airplane. She also reported that the tailwind during taxi caused a high groundspeed but that the airplane was “uncontrollable” via the rudder and brakes. The airplane’s pilot operating handbook states that the groundspeed and use of brakes should be held to a minimum while taxiing, directional control should be maintained with the steerable nosewheel and the rudder, and the proper positioning of the ailerons and elevator for wind direction is required to maintain directional control and balance. Additionally, according to the FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook, a pilot must maintain a safe taxiing speed to ensure directional control and must have the ability to recognize any potential hazards in time to avoid them and to stop or turn where and when desired without undue reliance on the wheel brakes. Postaccident examination and testing revealed no anomalies with the airplane’s wheel brake system or the steerable nosewheel. The wind at the airport about the time of the accident was from 140° at 13 knots gusting to 21 knots. Thus, the pilot likely allowed the airplane to accelerate to an unsafe groundspeed during taxi, resulting in a loss of directional control. ## Factual narrative On March 28, 2019, about 1545 central daylight time, a Cessna 172S airplane, N494JB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH), Spring, Texas. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that her taxi clearance to runway 17L was via taxiways Juliet and Kilo. The pilot completed an uneventful right turn from the ramp to join the north/south taxiway Mike, but the airplane did not respond to her left rudder pedal input to turn left to join taxiway Juliet. The pilot then attempted to steer the airplane by applying the left brake, but the airplane still did not respond. She reduced engine power to idle and depressed both brake pedals to stop the airplane, but the airplane continued north toward taxiway November. The airplane’s right main landing gear then departed the pavement and descended into a drainage ditch. The airplane came to rest in the grass alongside the ditch. In a postaccident statement, the pilot reported that the brakes “worked normally” before starting to taxi the airplane from the ramp. The pilot stated that a “strong” tailwind resulted in a high groundspeed during taxi but that the airplane was “uncontrollable” via the rudder and brakes. Additionally, she stated that her passenger (who she noted was a pilot) had also been unable to apply wheel brakes while she was having a problem maintaining airplane directional control. The airplane was examined by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors from the Houston, Texas, flight standards district office. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were substantially damaged. A visual examination of the brake assemblies revealed no anomalies, and a functional check of the brake system confirmed its proper operation. No fluid leaks were observed in the brake system, and both brake master cylinders contained an adequate amount of hydraulic fluid for normal operation. A functional check of the nosewheel confirmed proper rotation with the corresponding rudder pedal input. Additional Information The Cessna 172S Pilot Operating Handbook states that effective ground control while taxiing is accomplished through nosewheel steering by using the rudder pedals. The handbook notes that the ground speed and use of brakes should be “held to a minimum” and that the proper positioning of the ailerons and elevator for wind direction is required to maintain directional control and balance. Additionally, the handbook notes that strong quartering tailwinds require caution while taxiing, sudden applications of engine throttle and sharp braking should be avoided with a tailwind, and directional control should be maintained with the steerable nosewheel and the rudder. According to the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C, a pilot must maintain a safe taxiing speed to ensure directional control and that safe taxiinginvolves the pilot’s ability to recognize any potential hazards in time to avoid them and to stop or turn where and when desired without undue reliance on the wheel brakes. The handbook recommends that the taxi speed be slow enough so that the airplane can be stopped promptly when the engine throttle is closed. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N494JB](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N494JB), registered now, S/N 172S9099, built 2002 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172 (S) - Registry model: [Cessna 172S](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (registry code 2072439) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-360-L2A](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (registry code 41597, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 172S9099 - Year built: 2002 - Airframe hours: 8427.6 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360-L2A 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: United Flight System - Registered owner: D & S Aviation, LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, February 20, 2019, 94.5 hours before - Departed: DWH, Spring, TX - Destination: AUS, Austin, TX - Airport: DWH, David Wayne Hooks Memorial - Equipment: Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 22; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review December 21, 2018; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 197.6 total, 83.5 in this make and model, 89.2 as pilot in command, 73.7 in the last 90 days, 34.1 in the last 30 days, 1.4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 140° at 13 knots, gusting 21 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 55 °F - Altimeter: 30.12 inHg - Observed at: DWH - METAR: METAR KDWH 282053Z 14013G21KT 10SM FEW047 24/13 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP199 T02440128 56027= ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20190328002109A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190328002109A), Mar 28, 2019: Cessna 172S, Spring, TX, Substantial damage. The aircraft was taxiing northward on taxiway ?m? Towards taxiway ?j?. The aircraft continued across the intersection of taxiways ?m? And ?j?. The right main… ## Docket (7 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 15, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=99203. 3.1 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13184893&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=01%20-%20Pilot%20Report_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Pilot statement (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 24 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13184612&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=02%20-%20Pilot%20Statement%20(Elizabeth%20Largent)-Rel.pdf - FAA inspector statements (item 3, PDF, 2 pages, 848 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13185103&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=03%20-%20FAA%20Inspector%20Statements_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Airport diagram (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 128 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13184079&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=04%20-%20Airport%20Diagram%20(DWH)-Rel.pdf - Cessna 172S pilot operating handbook (excerpts) (item 5, PDF, 5 pages, 375 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13184903&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=05%20-%20172S-POH%20(Excerpts)-Rel.pdf - FAA airplane flying handbook (excerpts) (item 6, PDF, 3 pages, 115 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13184622&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=06%20-%20Airplane%20Flying%20Handbook%20(Excerpts)-Rel.pdf - Weather data (item 7, PDF, 1 page, 65 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13185021&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=07%20-%20Weather%20Reports-Rel.pdf 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. --- 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.