Cessna 172 accident near New Braunfels, Texas, December 17, 2001
On December 17, 2001 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5181R, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Braunfels, Texas (New Braunfels 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 maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 2001 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- New Braunfels, Texas · New Braunfels Muni Airport · 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
- N5181R · registry record · serial 17263398
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
This was the 30-hour student pilot's second supervised solo flight. The student pilot stated that he set up for a normal approach to runway 36, landing on the first 1,000 feet of the runway. Just after landing, the airplane veered to the right 15 - 20 degrees. The airplane exited the right side of the runway, crossed a taxiway, impacted soft terrain, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The wind at the time of the accident was reported to be from 350 degrees at 7 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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 24 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,475.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 16, 2001; 71.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BAZ New Braunfels TX at 9:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,364 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from BAZ
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.