Cessna 172P accident near Houston, Texas, December 29, 2004
On December 29, 2004 at about 4:52 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N118FR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houston, Texas (David Wayne Hooks Memorial airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the muddy condition of the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2004 · about 4:52 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · David Wayne Hooks Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N118FR · no longer on the register · serial 17276268
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 189-hour fixed-wing private pilot landed uneventfully with ten degrees of flaps. The pilot reported that as he began to apply brakes, the airplane veered off to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the situation, and the airplane veered to the right, and then back to the left again. At this time, the left main landing gear exited the runway and dug into muddy terrain. As a result, the airplane nosed into the ground, flipped over, and came to rest inverted.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,535 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 24, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hi-Tech Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: DWH Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17R, 7,009 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from DWH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.