Cessna 172 accident near Decatur, Texas, May 24, 2004
On May 24, 2004 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5302E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Decatur, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 follow the flight instructor's instructions and relinquish the controls, and the flight instructor's delay in initiating a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2004 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Decatur, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5302E · no longer on the register · serial 17271828
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 1,750-hour flight instructor reported that during a simulated engine-out emergency landing, the airplane landed hard in a field and collided with trees. The flight instructor stated that he initiated a go-around, and informed the 80-hour student pilot several times that he had control of the airplane; however, the student pilot would not immediately take her hands from the controls. Subsequently, the airplane pitched up and rolled to the left before impacting the ground and colliding with trees.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,750 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 1,270 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 15, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 80 hours in all; 40 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AC (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Marcair Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 52F Roanoke TX at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.