Cessna 172 accident near Mcallen, Texas, October 12, 2007
On October 12, 2007 at about 6:34 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N65591, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mcallen, Texas (Mc Allen Miller Intl 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 pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the landing approach resulting in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2007 · about 6:34 pm local time
- Place
- Mcallen, Texas · Mc Allen Miller Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- 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
- N65591 · no longer on the register · serial 17275781
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 104-hour student pilot was attempting a full-stop landing with the aircraft configured with 20 degrees of flaps and the throttle at idle. The pilot reported that after he flared for the landing, the aircraft pitched-up and began drifting to the left. The pilot responded by applying full-right rudder and retracting the flaps to 10 degrees. This is the last event the pilot can recall in the accident sequence. The airplane impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude, nosed-over and came to rest in the inverted position 150 feet from the left side of Runway 13. An examination of the airplane revealed the nose landing gear had been sheared off and structural damage was sustained to the nose cone, propeller, engine compartment, fuselage, left wing and tail section. The wind at the time of the mishap was reported from 090 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to 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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 104 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 34 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,379 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2007
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MFE Mcallen TX at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 7,120 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 6:37 pm from MFE
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.