Cessna 172 accident near Houston, Texas, September 13, 2020
On September 13, 2020 at about 8:35 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna 172, registered N7562F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Houston, Texas (Pearland Regional Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control upon landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 2020 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Pearland Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N, built 1980 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7562F · registry record · serial 17273260
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot and his flight instructor were on an instructional flight when the airplane suddenly veered to the right upon landing. The flight instructor stated that his student had simply lost control upon touchdown. The flight instructor reported that he took control of the airplane from his student, but he was unable to regain directional control of the airplane before it departed off the right side of the runway and nosed over. The engine mount, left wing strut, left wing main spar, vertical stabilizer, and the rudder were substantially damaged. The flight instructor reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded its normal operation. The student pilot reported that they had completed 3 uneventful landings before the accident. The student pilot had observed some stiffness in the rudder system during his preflight inspection, the rudder did not self-center while on the ground at slow speeds, and that the cockpit floor carpet was loose and had to be repositioned several times during the flight. An examination of the airplane wreckage revealed impact-related damage to the rudder that precluded its movement, but there were no additional flight control issues observed. Examination revealed the cockpit floor carpet was loose and bunched-up, but it could not be determined if it had contributed to the loss of directional control or had become unsecured while the pilots made their emergency exit following the accident.
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 defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 28,580 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 28,270 as pilot in command; 27,194 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 12, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 22.5 hours in all; 15.1 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,324.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 3, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 6,324 hours total
- Operator: Coastal Skies Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: AXH Houston TX at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,313 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from LVJ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on July 21, 2021. 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 | Student Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Email Summary of Conversation with Flight Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Weather Data | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photos | PDF, 3 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.