Cessna 172R accident near Denton, Texas, December 20, 2011
On December 20, 2011 at about 7:45 am local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N987BT, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Denton, Texas (Denton Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's controlled flight into terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to perform a circling maneuver in weather below circling minimums instead of flying the missed approach instructions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 2011 · about 7:45 am local time
- Place
- Denton, Texas · Denton Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N987BT · no longer on the register · serial 17280452
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing at their destination airport, the commercial pilot and flight instructor flew the instrument landing system approach to runway 18. Weather was reported as 200-feet vertical and 1/2-mile visibility with fog. An observer, who sat in a rear seat, recalled that the airplane entered a fog bank during the approach. The observer saw airport lighting to the airplane's left, which was about the time the pilots realized that they were not aligned with the runway. Rather than fly the missed approach procedure, the pilot attempted to circle to runway 36 despite the weather being below minimums to circle. As the airplane set up to land on runway 36, the pilots realized that there was insufficient runway remaining to safely land but did not execute the published missed approach procedure, and, while making a left turn, the airplane impacted terrain. The airplane's flight plan was not closed out, which enabled air traffic control to initiate a search of the airplane. Incomplete radar data was used to locate the accident airplane. Despite searching 4 hours, the responders could not locate the airplane. Finally, a cellular telephone belonging to one of the pilots was "pinged" and responders were able to obtain a location; the airplane was found shortly thereafter. A postaccident review of all data available revealed that an additional radar site had recoded additional radar points, the last of which was 259 yards from the actual crash site.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,833.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 2011; 930 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: US Aviation Group LLC
The flight
- Departed from: SAT San Antonio TX
- Destination: DTO Denton TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 7,002 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 200 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from DTO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 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.