Cessna 172F accident near Golden, Texas, May 13, 1988
On May 13, 1988 at about 7:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5577R, was destroyed in an accident near Golden, Texas (Mineola Wisener airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- May 13, 1988 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Golden, Texas · Mineola Wisener
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5577R · registry record · serial 17253174
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT WAS OPERATING ON AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FLT AT 200 TO 500' AGL AND 70 TO 80 MPH. THE COMMERCIAL PLT STATED THAT AS HE WAS IN A BANK THE ACFT SEEMED TO BE 'PUSHED' INTO THE 60 TO 80' TREES OVER WHICH HE WAS FLYING AND THAT IT 'FELL OUT OF THE AIR'. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE NEVER FELT THE ACFT BUFFET OR HEARD THE STALL WARNING. WITNESSES STATED THAT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE ACFT WAS MAKING ABRUPT MANEUVERS USING STEEP ANGLES OF BANK. EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE ACFT ENTERED THE TREES AT LOW SPEED IN A STEEP RIGHT BANK. THE INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ANY OF ITS SYSTEMS.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,715 hours in all; 358 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 127 in the last 30 days; 1,445 as pilot in command; 198 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,684 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1988; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: R. E. Webster, INC
The flight
- Departed from: 3F9 Mineola TX at 6:45 pm
- Destination: F67 Grand Prairie TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:46 pm from GGG, 46 miles away
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.