Cessna 172 accident near Lancaster, Texas, February 11, 2007
On February 11, 2007 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N124SJ, was involved in an accident near Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The spectator's inadvertent contact with the turning propeller while the airplane was standing with the engine operating. A contributing factor was the dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 11, 2007 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Lancaster, Texas · Lancaster
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N124SJ · no longer on the register · serial 17280225
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that the single-engine airplane was parked on the ramp with the engine idling when a female taking pictures of the pilot and passengers inadvertently walked into the turning propeller. The pilot reported in the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 that after conducting a local area flight, he landed and taxied the airplane to the ramp. He parked the airplane parallel to the terminal building and kept the engine running. A female observer walked from the terminal building to the left, rear side of the airplane to photograph the passengers in the back seat. She then proceeded to the front of the aircraft where she was struck by the idling propeller. There was no damage to the airplane and the pilot and three passengers were not injured. The female that walked into the propeller sustained serious injuries. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the mishap.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 291 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 226 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,263.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KLNC Lancaster TX
- Destination: KLNC Lancaster TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 4,999 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,200 ft; ovct at 3,200 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 am from KLNC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.