Cessna 172H accident near Houston, Texas, September 28, 2004
On September 28, 2004 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N189W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houston, Texas (West Houston 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 student pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a parked aircraft while taxiing. A contributing factor was the student pilot's anxiety attack.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2004 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · West Houston Airport · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N189W · registry record · serial 17255907
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 52-hour student pilot reported that while taxiing to the parking area after landing, he heard a "loud bang on the left side of the airplane" as the airplane moved to the left. After powering down the airplane, the student pilot exited the airplane and realized the left wing struck a parked aircraft. The student pilot added that he was on his first solo cross-country flight and became overwhelmed with anxiety. The student pilot eventually became lost and decided to land at the first available airport.
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: 52 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,091.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 26, 2004; 39.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLL College Station TX at 5:01 am
- Destination: EYQ Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,953 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 13,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from IAH, 19 miles away
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 FTW04CA245.