Cessna 172E accident near Plano, Texas, January 23, 2009
On January 23, 2009 at about 9:54 pm local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N5420T, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Plano, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power in flight due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel planning.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 2009 · about 9:54 pm local time
- Place
- Plano, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N5420T · no longer on the register · serial 17251320
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While en route to his destination airport, the pilot of the single-engine airplane encountered a loss of engine power. Unable to reach the destination airport, he performed a forced landing to a golf course. On the landing roll-out the airplane entered a sand bunker, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot later reported that he departed with 17 gallons of fuel in the airplane's fuel tanks and estimated that he used 8 gallons en route to his destination. During removal of the airplane from the accident scene, about 3 gallons of fuel was found in the fuel tanks, consistent with the amount of unusable fuel in a Cessna 172E. No evidence of a fuel leak was discovered, and no fuel was found in the sand bunker where the airplane came to rest. During a test run, the airplane's engine was started and ran at various power settings; no abnormalities were noted.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Powderly TX
- Destination: F69 Dallas TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from ADS, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.