Cessna 172XP accident near Godley, Texas, December 23, 1987
On December 23, 1987 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172XP, registered N736AN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Godley, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were 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
- December 23, 1987 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Godley, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172XP · all 172XPs on the register
- Registration
- N736AN · registry record · serial R1722374
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE WEATHER WORSENED. VISIBILITY DECREASED AND THE CEILING LOWERED, FORCING THE PILOT TO DESCEND IN ORDER TO REMAIN VFR. THE PILOT ELECTED TO PERFORM A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN A FIELD. DURING LANDING ROLL THE PILOT NOTICED A POST AND CULVERT IN HIS PATH. HE ADDED POWER AND ROTATED NOSE UP, BECOMING AIRBORNE, MISSING THE POST AND CULVERT BUT LANDING HARD ON THE NOSE GEAR. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT NOSED DOWN AND TO THE LEFT, DAMAGING THE LEFT WING SPAR.
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: 182 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,384 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 7, 1987; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FDO Bonham TX at 8:30 pm
- Destination: F55 Granbury TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 18 knots, gusting 22
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:50 pm from FTW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.