FTW95LA250

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 172N · Houston, TX · June 18, 1995

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 18, 1995, 12:45 local (17:45 UTC)
Place
Houston, TX
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N6542FCessna 172N
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report December 19, 1995
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19950618019889A
Case key
19459

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

The pilot's failure to attain runway alignment. Factors were the pilot's failure to perform a go-around and his lack of total experience in the make and model of airplane.

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.

On ground/water collision with objectLanding - roll
Object - aircraft parked/standing
Object - vehicle
Object - building(nonresidential)
Proper alignment - not attainedPilot in commandCause
Go-around - not performedPilot in commandFactor
Lack of total experience in type of aircraftPilot in commandFactor

Analysis

During the downwind leg the pilot began looking for another airplane in the pattern. He touched down to the right of the runway with the right main landing gear and during the landing roll struck an airplane, golf cart, and a building. The pilot had 3.1 hours total time in this make and model of airplane.

Factual narrative

On June 18, 1995, at 1245 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N6542F, received substantial damage following a loss of control while landing near Houston, Texas. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was being operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and a flight plan was not filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight which originated from Navasota, Texas, at 1200.

The information in this paragraph was reported on the enclosed Pilot/Operator Report, witness statements, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector's statement. Two touch and goes were performed at the Weiser Air Park, Houston, Texas, prior to the round trip departure flight to the Navasota Municipal Airport (60R), Navasota, Texas. The first leg of the trip was uneventful and upon returning to Houston, the airplane entered the downwind for one touch and go followed by a full stop landing on runway 09.

During the downwind pattern for the full stop landing, another airplane entered the pattern for landing behind N6542F. The pilot was distracted as he looked for the other airplane, entered final approach aligned to the right of the runway with the airspeed a "little slow." During the landing roll the right main gear touched down on the grass to the right side of the runway.

The pilot stated that he pulled the "throttle but not enough and the brakes were not holding." As the airplane continued to roll it struck, the empennage of a parked airplane, a towbar attached to a golf cart, and the side of a metal hangar (located along the right side of the runway). Winds were reported from the east/southeast at 10 knots.

The FAA inspector examined the airplanes and reported that N6542F sustained damage to the engine cowling, propeller, right wing structure, and the cockpit windshield. The parked airplane, a Piper PA-34-200T, N1007X, sustained damage to the rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and empennage aft of the baggage compartment. The golf cart and the hangar sustained substantial damage.

A Private Pilot Certificate was issued to the pilot on April 23, 1994. A review of the pilot's logbook indicated that his training was conducted in the Piper PA-28 airplane. On May 5, 1995, the pilot received 0.7 hour of dual instruction in N6452F. The private pilot's total flight time in high wing aircraft, including the day of the accident, was 3.1 hours.

Aircraft

Registration
N6542F
Reported as
Cessna 172N
Category
Airplane
Serial number
17273238
Airframe hours
4,340
Engine
Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Joseph R. Mock, doing business as Ray'S Flight Service
Registered owner
Michael Prichard
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
100 hour · May 16, 1995 · 41 hours before
Departed
60R · Navasota, TX
Destination
EYQ
Airport
EYQ · Weiser Airpark, runway 9, 3,467 × 40 ft, asphalt

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
42
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
162 total · 3 in this make and model · 61 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
145° at 10 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
84 °F

FAA reports on this event · 1

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