Cessna 170A accident near Houston, Texas, June 4, 2012
On June 4, 2012 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N9753A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Houston, Texas (Weiser Air Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2012 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Weiser Air Park · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N9753A · registry record · serial 19214
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the landing the airplane encountered a gust of wind and veered left. He stated that he lost control, and the airplane ground looped and sustained substantial fuselage damage. The pilot indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,300 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 7, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,899.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 10, 2012
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IWS Houston TX at 6:00 pm
- Destination: EYQ Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 3,455 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from DWH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 5, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Miscellaneous - Local Weather | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Correspondence - E-mail Excerpt from the Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9753A on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 170 2,085 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 6,625 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- West Houston Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,061 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,986 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN12CA341.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.