- Date
- November 15, 1996, 10:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Manvel, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N25JMCessna 170B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 23, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961115042359A
- Case key
- 20115
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
Loss of aircraft control due to the pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind. A factor was the crosswind.
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.
Analysis
The pilot was attempting to land the airplane on runway 20 with a gusty south crosswind. As he started the landing flare, 'approximately one to two feet above the runway, a sudden left gust displaced the airplane to the right of the runway.' A go-around was initiated. 'While attempting to gain [a] greater airspeed, the airplane was displaced further to the right of the runway,' struck a tree, and subsequently impacted a historical marker. At 0949, 11 minutes prior to the accident, the winds at the Houston Hobby International Airport in Houston, Texas, 10 nautical miles from the accident site, were from 120 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 22 knots.
Factual narrative
On November 15, 1996, at 1000 central standard time, a Cessna 170B, N25JM, registered to and operated by a private owner as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 business flight, was substantially damaged during landing near Manvel, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The flight originated from Houston, Texas, about 30 minutes before the accident.
According to the pilot, he was attempting to land the airplane on runway 20 with a gusty south crosswind. As he started the landing flare, "approximately one to two feet above the runway, a sudden left gust displaced the airplane to the right of the runway." A go-around was initiated. "While attempting to gain [a] greater airspeed, the airplane was displaced further to the right of the runway," struck a tree, and subsequently impacted a historical marker.
Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that the airplane came to rest 250 feet from the runway on a northerly heading. Both wings, wing struts, the fuselage, and landing gear were damaged. The left elevator was found separated from the horizontal stabilizer.
At 0949, 11 minutes prior to the accident, the winds at the Houston Hobby International Airport in Houston, Texas, were from 120 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 22 knots. Houston Hobby International Airport is 10 nautical miles from the accident site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25JM
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27004
- Airframe hours
- 2,149
- Engine
- Continental O-300-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Victor A. Strum
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 28, 1996 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- T02 · Houston, TX
- Destination
- 3TA1
- Airport
- 3TA1 · Wolfe Air Park, runway 20, 3,180 × 80 ft, grass/turf
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
- 60
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,638 total · 4 in this make and model · 1,386 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 10 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.