Cessna 172A accident near Gainesville, Texas, August 25, 1986
On August 25, 1986, a Cessna 172A, registered N7261T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gainesville, Texas (Gainesville airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1986
- Place
- Gainesville, Texas · Gainesville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172A · all 172As on the register
- Registration
- N7261T · no longer on the register · serial 46861
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TAXIING INTO POSITION FOR TAKEOFF, WHEN THERE WAS A WIND SHIFT AND A GUST OF WIND INVERTED THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT HAD NOT OBTAINED ANY WEATHER REPORTS PRIOR TO TAXIING OUT TO THE RUNWAY. THERE WERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA AND A HEAVY RAIN BEGAN WITHIN MINUTES OF THE ACCIDENT DECREASING VISIBILITY TO APRX 1/4 MILE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 161 hours in all; 97 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 132 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,318 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 1986; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,075 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 360° at 20 knots, gusting 40
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
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.