Cessna 172H accident near Wichita Falls, Texas, November 26, 2003
On November 26, 2003 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N8058L, was destroyed in an accident near Wichita Falls, Texas (Wichita Falls airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to an obstruction in the fuel line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 2003 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Wichita Falls, Texas · Wichita Falls · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N8058L · registry record · serial 17256258
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During takeoff on a maintenance test flight, approximately 200 feet agl, the engine lost power. The 4,070-hour flight instructor stated that he turned the airplane back toward the airport and looked for a suitable place to land. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted the terrain, flipped over and came to rest inverted. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the gascolator, connected to the carburetor fuel line, was blocked by rubber deposits. These deposits were consistent with the inner lining of the fuel line.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,070 hours in all; 153 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 3,860 as pilot in command; 1,556 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 4, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 9, 2003; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F14 Wichita Falls TX at 9:00 pm
- Destination: Wichita Falls TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 130, 3,315 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from SPS, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N8058L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8058L on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-300-H 6,625 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wichita Valley Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,065 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,945 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N8058L 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW04LA028.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.