Cessna 182R accident near Ringgold, Texas, January 22, 2004
On January 22, 2004 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N9374H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ringgold, Texas. It was an aerial observation 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 pilots failure to maintain clearance from the support wire while on a pipeline patrol flight. A contributing factor was the haze restricting the pilots forward visibility, and low altitude flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 2004 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Ringgold, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N9374H · registry record · serial 18267939
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 16,000-hour commercial pilot was on a routine pipeline patrol at an altitude of 300 feet above ground level, when the outboard part of the right wing of the airplane came in contact with a tower support wire. After impact the pilot "deemed the plane flyable," and elected to return to the departure airport. The pilot reported that the conditions were hazy and that by the time he saw the tower, it was too late to take evasive actions. The utility tower was depicted on the sectional chart.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 10,000 in this make and model; 280 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 27, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,231.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 24, 2003; 47.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HQZ Mesquite TX at 2:20 pm
- Destination: GUY Guymon OK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 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.
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 FTW04LA064.