Cessna 172R accident near Lufkin, Texas, October 20, 2007
On October 20, 2007 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N172GH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lufkin, Texas (Angelina County 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 2007 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lufkin, Texas · Angelina County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N172GH · registry record · serial 17280192
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 64-hour student pilot lost control of the airplane when the airplane bounced during a hard landing on runway 15. The pilot deployed full flaps soon after turning final approach; however, he believed that the airplane was too high on final approach so he elected to slip the airplane to increase his rate of descent while he attempted to maintain 70 knots on final approach. As the airplane approached the runway the pilot discontinued the landing slip; however, a high rate of descent had developed and the airplane landed hard. Following the hard landing, the airplane bounced and a porpoise developed. Examination of the airplane reveled that the nose gear tire had been blown during the hard landing. Further examination revealed that the engine firewall had sustained structural damage. The winds at the time of the mishap were reported from 190 degrees at 18 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: 64 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,091 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2007; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Harvey And Rihn Aviation, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: T41 La Porte TX at 4:30 pm
- Destination: KLFK Lufkin TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 15, 4,309 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KLFK
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DFW08CA033.