Cessna 172H accident near Baytown, Texas, July 8, 2014
On July 8, 2014 at about 2:01 am local time, a 1966 Cessna 172H, registered N3732R, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Baytown, Texas (Baytown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to verify the fuel onboard before the flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2014 · about 2:01 am local time
- Place
- Baytown, Texas · Baytown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H, built 1966 · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N3732R · no longer on the register · serial 17255532
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and two passengers completed a 45-minute local sightseeing flight at night, then returned to the airport for a touch-and-go landing. About 400 ft above ground level after takeoff, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing in a flat, clear area of a city park. As the airplane descended, the right wing impacted a set of electrical transmission wires. The pilot lost control and the airplane impacted terrain, where it came to rest inverted. An on-scene examination of the wreckage showed no evidence of fuel. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. The pilot reported that he had last fueled the airplane more than 6 months before the accident; he estimated that a total of 32 gallons of fuel was onboard at that time. He also estimated that the airplane had been flown about 2 hours 20 minutes since refueling, and that there should have been about 45 minutes of fuel remaining at the time of the accident. Data from the airplane's hand-held GPS showed that within the previous 6 months, the device had recorded flights totaling about 4 hours. Thus, the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to verify the available fuel before the accident flight.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
- Cabin safety event during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 1,700 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,600 as pilot in command; 1,300 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 28, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,038 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 30, 2013; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 0-300-D (piston); 4,008 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HPY Baytown TX at 1:00 am
- Destination: HPY Baytown TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,334 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from KEFD, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.