Cessna 172 accident near Iraan, Texas, January 15, 2002
On January 15, 2002 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N509R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Iraan, Texas (Iraan Municipal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing roll. Contributing factors were the pilot's selection of a downwind runway for landing, the tail wind condition, and his lack of total experience in the type of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 2002 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Iraan, Texas · Iraan Municipal 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
- N509R · no longer on the register · serial 17266894
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had difficulty locating the windsock as he overflew the airport. On his third landing attempt on runway 32, he landed one-third of the way down the 4,085 feet long, 60 feet wide runway. Halfway down the runway he retracted the flaps and applied heavy braking. The airplane veered off the right side of the runway, went through a barbed wire fence, a shallow ditch, over a road, and into a business yard, where it impacted a pipe trailer. The pilot discovered after the accident that he had landed with a 15 knot tail wind. The 400 hour pilot reported that he had accumulated a total of 7 hours in the Cessna 172, and he felt his lack of experience in high wing airplanes was a contributing factor to the accident.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 350 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 12, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,663.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 2002; 180 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2 D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BAZ New Brunsfels TX at 5:45 pm
- Destination: 2F0 Iraan TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,085 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N509R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.