Cessna 172S accident near Sugar Land, Texas, January 12, 2002
On January 12, 2002 at about 7:46 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N497SJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sugar Land, Texas (Sugarland Municipal Arport 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 during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2002 · about 7:46 pm local time
- Place
- Sugar Land, Texas · Sugarland Municipal Arport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N497SJ · registry record · serial 17258497
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that while executing a full stop landing, he reduced power going into the "flare" and "pulled" the controls back. The airplane then touched down on the nose gear and "bounced." He then added power to recover; however, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway and nosed over.
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
- Flight time: 99 hours in all; 71 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 253 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 19, 2001; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sugarland Aviation Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: SGR Sugarland TX at 6:35 pm
- Destination: SGR Sugarland TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from SGR
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 N497SJ 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.