# NTSB DFW05CA046: Cessna 172P, N118FR, Houston, TX, December 29, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: December 29, 2004, 10:52 local (16:52 UTC) - Place: Houston, TX - Coordinates: 30.058889, -95.55278 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.0589&lon=-95.5528&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 24, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Houston, Texas - NTSB case key (mKey): 60779 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DFW05CA046 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/60779/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05CA046 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the muddy condition of the terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - Nose over, landing - roll - terrain condition - muddy (contributing factor) ## Analysis The 189-hour fixed-wing private pilot landed uneventfully with ten degrees of flaps. The pilot reported that as he began to apply brakes, the airplane veered off to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the situation, and the airplane veered to the right, and then back to the left again. At this time, the left main landing gear exited the runway and dug into muddy terrain. As a result, the airplane nosed into the ground, flipped over, and came to rest inverted. ## Factual narrative On December 29, 2004, at 1052 central standard time, at Cessna 172P single-engine airplane, N118FR, registered to a private individual and operated by Hi-Tech Aviation of Spring, Texas, sustained substantial damage following a loss of control during landing roll at the David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH), near Houston, Texas. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local flight originated from DWH approximately 1005. In a written statement, the 189-hour fixed-wing private pilot reported that he rented the airplane and practiced approximately five touch-and-go's on runway 17L at DWH. The pilot then departed to the west and noticed that " the weather was a bit marginal," so he returned to DWH. The pilot was cleared for a full-stop landing on runway 17R and landed uneventfully with ten degrees of flaps. He reported that as he began to apply brakes, the airplane veered off to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the situation, and the airplane veered to the right, and then back to the left again. At this time, the left main landing gear exited the runway and dug into muddy terrain. As a result, the airplane nosed into the ground, flipped over, and came to rest inverted. The pilot then evacuated the airplane, uninjured. Examination of the airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, revealed structural damage to the left and right wing spars, as well as structural damage to the right wing strut. The braking system was examined, and no anomalies were found. At 1053, the automated weather observing system at DWH reported wind from 130 degrees at 6 knots, haze, few clouds at 1,000 feet, scattered clouds at 2,500 feet, scattered clouds at 3,400 feet, temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 63 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.33 inches of Mercury. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N118FR](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N118FR-2021-10-30), registration cancelled 2021-10-30, S/N 17276268, built 1984 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172P - Registry model: [Cessna 172P](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172p) (registry code 2072436) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17276268 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Hi-Tech Aviation - Registered owner: Lawrence Luthy - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: DWH, Houston, TX - Airport: DWH, David Wayne Hooks Memorial, runway 17R, 7,009 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 44; injuries: none; private, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: helicopter; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review March 24, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 1,535 total, 7 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days, 0 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 130° at 6 knots - Visibility: 6 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 30.32 inHg - Observed at: DWH ## 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 20041229032079A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20041229032079A), Dec 29, 2004: Cessna 172P, Houston, TX, Substantial damage. (-23) On December 29, 2004 at 1052 local time at David Wayne Hooks airport, tomball, Texas, kdwh a Cessna, CE-172P, registered as N118FR, s/n 17276268 departed… 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.