Cessna 172N accident near Spring, Texas, September 29, 2020
On September 29, 2020 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 172N, registered N75634, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Spring, Texas (David Wayne Hooks Memorial Air airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during climb and subsequent impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2020 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Spring, Texas · David Wayne Hooks Memorial Air · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N, built 1976 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N75634 · no longer on the register · serial 17267865
- 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 completed three touch-and-go landings before the student pilot departed on a solo flight. The student performed two uneventful full-stop landings. He reported that on the third takeoff, after reaching an altitude of 100 – 200 ft above ground level, the airplane yawed and rolled to the left. He was unable to maintain control of the airplane and subsequently performed a forced landing on a baseball field. The airplane contacted a drainage ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane flight control system revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation.
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 in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 25 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,110.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 21, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 1,883 hours total
- Operator: United Flight Systems
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 11 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KDWH, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KDWH 291853Z 02011G21KT 10SM CLR 26/03 A3014 RMK AO2 SLP204 T02610028
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on October 11, 2022. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Correspondence - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Computed Tomography Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 22 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 22-019 | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Operator Flight Test | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Log | PDF, 1 page | 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.