Cessna 172H accident near Armstrong, Texas, January 3, 2007
On January 3, 2007 at about 2:35 am local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N3940R, was destroyed in an accident near Armstrong, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued flight into adverse weather conditions resulting in a loss of control. Contributing factors were the dark night conditions, the clouds. low ceilings, and the pilot's limited night and instrument experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 2007 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Armstrong, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N3940R · no longer on the register · serial 17255440
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
"THIS CASE WAS MODIFIED ON 1/31/2008." The non-instrument rated private pilot inadvertently entered clouds while attempting a night cross-country in marginal night visual meteorological conditions. While maneuvering to maintain visual flight rules, the pilot entered the clouds and consequently lost control of the airplane. The airplane impacted the ground in a right turn in a pronounced nose-low attitude. The area of the accident is sparsely populated and there were no reported eyewitnesses to the accident. A pilot flying in the vicinity of the accident pilot reported several cloud layers between 1,500 and 6,000 feet mean sea level. The airplane was configured with the flaps retracted. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any anomalies or pre-impact defects. The pilot had no actual instrument time and was not prepared to enter instrument meteorological conditions. Toxicology testing detected ethanol and citalopram in tissue samples. The ethanol detected is most likely a result of post-mortem ethanol production. It could not be determined if the use of citalopram (a prescription antidepressant also used for certain anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder) or the undetermined condition for which it was prescribed were contributory to the accident, although the use of citalopram by pilots is considered disqualifying by the FAA.
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: 85 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,131.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-300-D12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T65 Weslaco TX at 2:10 am
- Destination: JSO Jacksonville TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 050° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 2:25 am from KBKS, 34 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.