# NTSB FTW02LA067: Cessna 172, N509R, Iraan, TX, January 15, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: January 15, 2002, 14:50 local (20:50 UTC) - Place: Iraan, TX - Coordinates: 30.905555, -101.891944 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.9056&lon=-101.8919&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 54011 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW02LA067 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54011/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54011 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA067 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing roll. Contributing factors were the pilot's selection of a downwind runway for landing, the tail wind condition, and his lack of total experience in the type of aircraft. ## 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 - weather condition - tailwind (contributing factor) - wrong runway - selected, pilot in command (contributing factor) - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - object - fence - object - vehicle ## Analysis The pilot had difficulty locating the windsock as he overflew the airport. On his third landing attempt on runway 32, he landed one-third of the way down the 4,085 feet long, 60 feet wide runway. Halfway down the runway he retracted the flaps and applied heavy braking. The airplane veered off the right side of the runway, went through a barbed wire fence, a shallow ditch, over a road, and into a business yard, where it impacted a pipe trailer. The pilot discovered after the accident that he had landed with a 15 knot tail wind. The 400 hour pilot reported that he had accumulated a total of 7 hours in the Cessna 172, and he felt his lack of experience in high wing airplanes was a contributing factor to the accident. ## Factual narrative On January 15, 2002, at 1450 central standard time, a Cessna 172 airplane, N509R, sustained substantial damage following a loss of directional control while landing at the Iraan Municipal Airport, Iraan, Texas. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight. The flight originated from New Braunfels, Texas, at 1145, with Iraan as an intermediate refueling stop. The flight's final destination was Union City, California. On the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, and during a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the commercial pilot reported that he had difficulty locating the windsock as he overflew the airport and "assumed" the airport "had none that day." The pilot choose runway 32, based on the winds aloft he had received earlier that morning, "assuming" a 50 - 60 degree crosswind of approximately 5 - 7 knots. The pilot aborted his first two approaches "because [he] was too far up the runway." On the third approach, the airplane touched down approximately one-third of the way down the 4,085-foot long, 60-foot wide runway. Halfway down the runway, when the airplane was "solidly down," the pilot raised the flaps and applied "heavy" braking. The airplane then veered off the right side of the runway, through a barbed wire fence, a shallow wet ditch, over a paved road, and into a business yard, where it impacted a pipe trailer, before coming to rest in an upright position. The 400-hour pilot reported that he landed with a 15 knot tail wind. The pilot reported that at the time of the accident, the winds were reported to be from 120 degrees at 12 to 15 knots. The pilot added that most of his flying experience had been in Piper low wing airplanes. He said he felt the Cessna, a high wing airplane, "floated" more than the Piper. He also said he felt his lack of experience in high wing airplanes was a contributing factor to the accident. The pilot reported having accumulated a total of 7 hours in the Cessna 172. An FAA inspector, who traveled to the accident scene, reported damage to the left outboard wing tip, and structural damage to the nose gear and engine firewall. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N509R](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N509R-2013-12-12), registration cancelled 2013-12-12, S/N 17266894 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172 - Registry model: [Cessna 172M](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (registry code 2072418) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17266894 - Airframe hours: 5663.7 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-E2 D 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Richard Prior - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, January 2, 2002, 180 hours before - Departed: BAZ, New Brunsfels, TX - Destination: 2F0, Iraan, TX - Airport: 2F0, Iraan Municipal Airport, runway 32, 4,085 × 60 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review January 12, 2002; seat: front; flight hours: 400 total, 7 in this make and model, 350 as pilot in command, 7 in the last 90 days, 7 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 120° at 15 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 25 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg ## 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 20020115000329A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020115000329A), Jan 15, 2002: Cessna 172M, Iraan, TX, Substantial damage. (-23) On January 15, 2002, at 1450 CST, Cessna 172M, N509R, sustained substantial damage after over-shooting runway 32 while landing at the airport in Iraan,… ## Other investigations on N509R (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 ATL86LA045](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL86LA045), Dec 20, 1985: Cessna C-172M (N509R), Andalusia, AL, substantial damage ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 15, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54011. 1.9 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 1.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40379379&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Pilot Interview (item 2, .PDF, 64 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40162746&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%20Interview-Master.PDF - Weather (item 3, .PDF, 44 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40162747&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather-Master.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.