# NTSB CEN20LA425: Cessna 172N, N75634, Spring, TX, September 29, 2020

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report
- Date: September 29, 2020, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place: Spring, TX
- Coordinates: 30.054083, -95.555996 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.0541&lon=-95.5560&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Initial climb: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240)
- Highest injury: Minor injuries
- Injuries: 1 minor
- Status: Completed
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Central Region
- Parties: Federal Aviation Administration; HOU FSDO
- NTSB case key (mKey): 102057
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN20LA425
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/102057/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102057
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA425

## Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during climb and subsequent impact with terrain.

## Findings

NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause.

- [Action: incorrect action performance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172N, 29 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md?model=2072434), [All aircraft, 1,386 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md)
- [Performance/control parameters](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172N, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md?model=2072434), [All aircraft, 1,269 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md)

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Initial climb: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172N, 45 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=2072434), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md)
- [Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna 172N, 134 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2072434), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md)

## Analysis

The student pilot and his flight instructor completed three touch-and-go landings before the student pilot departed on a solo flight. The student performed two uneventful full-stop landings. He reported that on the third takeoff, after reaching an altitude of 100 – 200 ft above ground level, the airplane yawed and rolled to the left. He was unable to maintain control of the airplane and subsequently performed a forced landing on a baseball field. The airplane contacted a drainage ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane flight control system revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation.

## Factual narrative

On September 29, 2020, about 1400 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N75634, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Spring, Texas. The student pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The student pilot and his flight instructor completed three touch-and-go landings before the student pilot departed on a solo flight. The student pilot performed two uneventful full-stop landings. The student pilot reported the airplane yawed ‘strongly’ to the left and banked left upon reaching an altitude of 100 - 200 ft above ground level on the third takeoff. He was unable to maintain control of the airplane to return to the runway and performed a forced landing on a field. The airplane hit a drainage ditch and incurred substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane flight control system revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation.

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N75634](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N75634-2021-07-03), registration cancelled 2021-07-03, S/N 17267865, built 1976 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172N
- Registry model: [Cessna 172N](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (registry code 2072434) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 17267865
- Year built: 1976
- Airframe hours: 10110.8
- Engines: Lycoming O-320 160 hp reciprocating
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Instructional, Part 91
- Operator: United Flight Systems
- Registered owner: 100 Knots LLC
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Last inspection: 100 hour, August 21, 2020
- Destination: Same as departure
- Airport: DWH, David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport
- Equipment: ADS-B

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Student pilot; age 34; injuries: minor; student; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 25 total, 25 in this make and model, 1 as pilot in command, 25 in the last 90 days, 12 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 20° at 11 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 79 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observed at: KDWH, 1 nm away
- METAR: KDWH 291853Z 02011G21KT 10SM CLR 26/03 A3014 RMK AO2 SLP204 T02610028

## 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 20200929016549A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200929016549A), Sep 29, 2020: Cessna 172N, Spring, TX, Substantial damage. On 9/29/2020 at 1031 CDT, a Cessna model 172N, s/n 17267865, N75634, had taken off on runway 17R at david wayne hooks airport (kdwh), and was at an altitude of…

## Docket (6 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 11, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102057. 124 MB in all.

- Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 2.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13926453&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120%20print_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Record of correspondence - FAA (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 107 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14526540&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=RECORD%20OF%20CORRESPONDENCE%20-%20FAA-Rel.pdf
- Computed tomography specialist's factual report (item 3, PDF, 22 pages, 16 photos, 120 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11890681&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=CEN20LA425,%20Cessna%20C172,%20steering%20tube,%20Spring,%20TX%20-%20CT%20factual%20report%20-%20final-Rel.pdf
- Materials laboratory factual report 22-019 (item 4, PDF, 6 pages, 7 photos, 1.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13932700&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Materials%20Laboratory%20Factual%20Report%2022-019-Rel.pdf
- Operator flight test (item 5, PDF, 2 pages, 95 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14526451&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Flight%20Test%20Master_Redacted2-Rel.pdf
- Photo log (item 6, PDF, 1 page, 627 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14525539&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Log-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.

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