Cessna 172 accident near Lakeway, Texas, March 14, 2019
On March 14, 2019 at about 6:40 pm local time, a 1958 Cessna 172, registered N8620B, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near Lakeway, Texas (Lakeway Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined, and the flight instructor's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering for a forced landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 2019 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeway, Texas · Lakeway Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 Undesignat, built 1958 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8620B · no longer on the register · serial 36320
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. A flight instructor and pilot on the ground reported that the accident airplane's engine was "cutting in and out" or "sputtering" following an aborted landing. Both witnesses reported that the airplane appeared to be maneuvering to return to the runway when the airplane entered a left turn, then descended in a steep, nose-down attitude consistent with an aerodynamic stall. The common traffic advisory frequency recording captured a transmission that indicated the flight instructor might attempt to return to the airport. The airplane impacted a tree and then a road sign in a mostly residential area. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The propeller exhibited signs of rotation and propeller strike marks were found on the ground at the accident site. Although the witness reports indicated a possible loss of power, the reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined based on the postaccident examination. After the partial loss of engine power, the flight instructor attempted a turn at low altitude, during which he failed to maintain proper airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and a loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery.
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 engine power (partial) during approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,472 hours in all; 462 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 855 as pilot in command; 293 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 10, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 15.3 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,976.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 7, 2018; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-300-D (piston); 4,630 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R9 Lakeway TX at 6:40 pm
- Destination: 3R9 Lakeway TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,930 ft by 70 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from KRYW, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on October 16, 2020. 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 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Various Witness Statements | PDF, 19 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Ctaf Recording Transcript | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Various Records | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 6 | NTSB Airframe and Engine Examination Report | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Cas Engine Examination Report | PDF, 39 pages | View Download |
| 8 | FAA Toxicology Report - Student Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Global Positioning System Device - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 10 | NTSB Party Member Forms | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.