Cessna 172 accident near Mckinney, Texas, September 28, 2007
On September 28, 2007 at about 8:21 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N364GW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mckinney, Texas (Mc Kinney Muni airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to compensate for existing conditions while landing. A contributing factor was the prevailing crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2007 · about 8:21 pm local time
- Place
- Mckinney, Texas · Mc Kinney Muni · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N364GW · registry record · serial 172S9364
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to the 40-hour student pilot's first solo flight, the flight instructor supervised four touch-and-go landings. The flight instructor received a report from the control tower of winds 40 degrees left of runway heading at 7 knots. The flight instructor then approved the student pilot's solo flight requiring three full-stop taxi-back landings. The student pilot performed a touch-and-go landing and entered the traffic pattern. During the second landing on Runway 17, the airplane was observed by tower personnel to bounce, porpoise, contact the runway with the propeller, and finally depart the runway at approximately midfield. In a statement to the NTSB, the student pilot appeared confused as why the airplane had a left turning tendency during takeoff and drift throughout the pattern. On final approach, the student pilot reported making an aileron input for the crosswind. The student pilot struggled to maintain control of the aircraft before departing the 100-foot wide runway and coming to rest in the grass. The flight instructor was not able to witness either student landing but reported that the earliest landings were "good." An inspection of the aircraft revealed structural damage to the aircraft's firewall. No mechanical malfunction or failure was reported. At the time of the accident the tower reported winds from 50 degrees left of runway heading at 8 knots.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,882.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2007; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Monarch Air
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Dallas TX at 3:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 7,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 3:21 pm from TKI
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.