Cessna 172S accident near Mckinney, Texas, July 8, 2003
On July 8, 2003 at about 4:44 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N166ME, was destroyed in an accident near Mckinney, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The CFI's failure to maintain airspeed sufficient for flight resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin during the forced landing. A contributing factor was the impact with a bird, which affected the performance of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2003 · about 4:44 pm local time
- Place
- Mckinney, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N166ME · no longer on the register · serial 172S8446
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was en route to the designated company practice area when the 1,100-hour flight instructor (CFI) made a distress call stating they had hit a bird and were going down. Subsequently, the CFI terminated radio contact. A witness located adjacent to the accident site reported seeing the airplane fly over approximately 500 to 1,000 feet agl, and the "wings of the Cessna 172 were pitching (alternating) up and down looking uncontrollable. The tail of the airplane was swinging from side to side." The witness lost sight of the airplane once it descended below a tree line. Witness marks at the accident site and airplane crush angles were consistent with the airplane stalling prior to impacting the ground. Examination of the airframe and engine, logbooks did not reveal any pre-existing anomalies.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all
- Last flight review: May 22, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,461.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 25, 2003; 28.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming IO-360-L2a (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Monarch Air
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Addison TX at 11:35 am
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from TKI, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.