Cessna 172P accident near Mesquite, Texas, May 31, 2004
On May 31, 2004 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N98885, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesquite, Texas (Mesquite Metro Airport). 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 delayed landing flare and the improper supervision provided by the flight instructor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2004 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Mesquite, Texas · Mesquite Metro Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N98885 · no longer on the register · serial 17276372
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The single-engine airplane landed hard on Runway 35, during an instructional flight. The flight instructor reported that on final approach, the airspeed was at 65 knots and the student pilot was delaying the landing flare. The flight instructor allowed the student pilot to continue the landing because he expected the landing to "be flat and on all three wheels at the same time, then discuss the pros/cons of the approach to land during the taxi back." The instructor put his right hand on the yoke and started to add slight backpressure. At this time, the instructor's headset began to come off, preventing him from stating, "my controls;" however, he pulled back harder on the yoke when he noticed the student pilot was applying opposite pressure. The instructor was unable to raise the nose, thus resulting in a nose wheel first landing. After landing, the instructor grabbed the yoke with both hands and applied backpressure, and the airplane lifted off the ground. The instructor realized that something was wrong with the propeller, so he pulled the throttle and the mixture out and landed the airplane. As he lowered the nose, the airplane continued to nose-over.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,759 hours in all; 2,025 in this make and model; 176 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 2,694 as pilot in command; 2,428 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,759.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 13, 2004; 53.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,407 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Addison TX at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 5,999 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 8:05 pm from HQZ
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.