Cessna 152 accident near Houston, Texas, November 23, 2006
On November 23, 2006 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N67503, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houston, Texas (Houston Southwest 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 improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor was the misjudged touchdown point.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 2006 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Houston Southwest
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N67503 · no longer on the register · serial 15281872
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 2,480-hour commercial pilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 380 hours in the make and model airplane involved in the accident, reported that on the third touch and go landing, while practicing a short field approach and landing to a 5,000-foot-long by 100-foot-wide paved runway, he failed to maintain control of the single-engine airplane and landed hard and short of the landing threshold for Runway 09. According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident, the airplane's nose gear collapsed and the engine firewall sustained structural damage. When asked how this accident could have been prevented, the pilot reported that "short field landings should always be practiced using a simulated beginning point of the runway. It is not necessary to use the actual landing threshold." The pilot also reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane or engine prior to the accident. Weather was reported as calm winds, unlimited visibility, clear skies, temperature 68 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.22 inches of mercury.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,480 hours in all; 380 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 2,454 as pilot in command; 1,790 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-l2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Arcola TX
- Destination: Arcola TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from KAXH
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.