- Date
- August 26, 2025, 21:20 local (Aug 27, 2025, 02:20 UTC)
- Place
- Lubbock, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N92356Cessna 172M
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250826015259A
- Case key
- 200917
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s mismanagement of available fuel, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he completed a 200 nautical mile cross country flight, then returned to the departure airport for touch-and-go landings. During the second touch-and-go, the engine experienced a loss of power about 200 to 300 ft agl. The pilot was unable to restore engine power and executed a forced landing to a field, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. After the accident the pilot reported that he did not switch the fuel selector to the tank with available fuel. The airplane contained about 36 gallons of fuel; 18 gallons in each fuel tank. The total flight time was about 2 hours and 20 minutes. The estimated fuel consumption rate for this engine was 8 gallons per hour.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N92356
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17261567
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 4,751.8
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hub City Aviation Academy LLC
- Registered owner
- Hub City Aviation Academy LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 20, 2025 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- LBB · Lubbock, TX
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- LBB
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS, Stall warning system
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 27, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 118.7 total · 13.9 in this make and model · 84.4 as pilot in command · 49.8 in the last 90 days · 19.8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 80° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KLBB, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KLBB 270153Z 08012KT 10SM BKN120 23/18 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP186 T02280183
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N92356 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.