FTW89LA068

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172M · Galveston, TX · March 17, 1989

Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
March 17, 1989, 07:50 local (13:50 UTC)
Place
Galveston, TX
Injuries
1 serious, 1 minor
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Approach
Aircraft
N5280RCessna 172M
Weather
Instrument (IMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report September 5, 1990
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19890317004099A
Case key
22847

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

Failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in a stall and loss of control. Contributing factors were: the weather conditions, which were below minimums, and failure of the pilot to perform a missed approach.

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Loss of control - in flightApproach - faf/outer marker to threshold (ifr)
Weather condition - low ceilingFactor
Weather condition - fogFactor
Weather condition - below approach/landing minimumsFactor
Missed approach - not performedPilot in commandFactor
Airspeed(vs) - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Stall - inadvertentPilot in commandCause
In flight collision with terrain/waterApproach

Analysis

After being clrd for an ILS rwy 13 apch to scholes field, the acft crashed aprx 75 yds north of the rwy & came to rest inverted on a hdg of 330 deg. There was extensive damage to the eng & prop, & the fuselage was broken aft of the cockpit, but the wings & empennage were relatively intact. Altho, both occupants survived the acdnt, the plt was unable to remember the occurrence due to his injuries. An investigation revealed the wx had been varialble. At 0656 CST, when the plt 1st ctcd houston apch ctl, the Galveston wx was in part: indefinite ceiling, 100' obscd, vis 3/16 mi with fog. At 0718, the plt was adzd of new wx which was in part: sky partially obscd, 300' thin scattered, ceiling 800' ovc, vis 3/4 mi with fog. At 0736, the plt was adzd of a spcl wx OBS, which was in part: sky partially obscd, 300' thin scattered, 800' ovc, vis 3/16 mi with fog. A subsequent wx OBS (not avail to plt when he was clrd for the apch at 0742) was in part: 300' obscd, vis 1/16 mi with fog. Wx mins for the ILS apch were: 200' ceiling & 1/2 mi vis.

Aircraft

Registration
N5280R
Reported as
Cessna 172M
Category
Airplane
Serial number
17263494
Airframe hours
3,510
Engine
Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Adolphsen, Wayne E.
Registered owner
Adolphsen, Wayne E
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · May 23, 1988 · 140 hours before
Departed
SHV · Shreveport, LA
Destination
GLS
Flight plan
IFR
Airport
GLS · Scholes Field, runway 13, 6,001 × 150 ft, concrete

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
22
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Left
Flight hours
955 total · 760 as pilot in command

Weather

Conditions
Instrument (IMC) · Day
Wind
160° at 10 knots
Lowest ceiling
300 ft
Temperature
64 °F, dew point 64 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
GLS

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.