Cessna 172 accident near Ft Worth, Texas, April 22, 2020
On April 22, 2020 at about 10:55 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 172, registered N13005, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Ft Worth, Texas (Hicks Airfield). It was a positioning 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain a stabilized approach and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action to initiate a go-around, which resulted in a runway overrun and impact with runway lights and fences.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2020 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Ft Worth, Texas · Hicks Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M, built 1973 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N13005 · no longer on the register · serial 17262440
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that he and the student pilot were prepared to land on runway 14 with partial flaps and reported wind from 190° at 17 knots. When they turned onto final approach, the instructor noticed that the airplane was too high and not aligned with the runway and that the airspeed was high. As the airplane approached the touchdown point, it encountered turbulence. The instructor took control of the airplane and executed a right-wing-low partial slip. The airplane touched down halfway down the 3,740-ft-long runway with a high ground speed. The instructor applied the brakes, and the wheels immediately locked, so he released the brakes and then tried reapplying them; however, the airplane did not decelerate. The airplane overran the runway and struck several airport lights and then traveled through two barbed-wire fences. The right main landing gear separated, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the fuselage and horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage. After the instructor and student exited the airplane, they noticed that the windsock indicated that they had landed with a strong quartering tailwind. The instructor said that the accident was due to the "undetected shift in wind direction - from a quartering headwind to a quartering/direct tailwind" and he and the student's incorrect decision to continue the approach and landing when the airplane was not stabilized.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Other weather encounter during landing
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Runway/taxi/approach light › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 23,856 hours in all; 1,989 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 20,434 as pilot in command; 6,902 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 18, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,013 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 2019; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 12,666 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WEA Fort Worth TX at 10:41 pm
- Destination: WEA Fort Worth TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,740 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 19 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.52 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KAFW, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 26, 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 | NTSB Form 6120.1-2, Pilot-operator Aircraft Accident Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Report Photographs | PDF, 9 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.