Cessna 172M accident near Galveston, Texas, March 17, 1989
On March 17, 1989 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N5280R, was destroyed in an accident near Galveston, Texas (Scholes Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AND LOSS OF CONTROL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE WEATHER CONDITIONS, WHICH WERE BELOW MINIMUMS, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PERFORM A MISSED APPROACH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 1989 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Galveston, Texas · Scholes Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N5280R · registry record · serial 17263494
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER BEING CLRD FOR AN ILS RWY 13 APCH TO SCHOLES FIELD, THE ACFT CRASHED APRX 75 YDS NORTH OF THE RWY & CAME TO REST INVERTED ON A HDG OF 330 DEG. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE ENG & PROP, & THE FUSELAGE WAS BROKEN AFT OF THE COCKPIT, BUT THE WINGS & EMPENNAGE WERE RELATIVELY INTACT. ALTHO, BOTH OCCUPANTS SURVIVED THE ACDNT, THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO REMEMBER THE OCCURRENCE DUE TO HIS INJURIES. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE WX HAD BEEN VARIALBLE. AT 0656 CST, WHEN THE PLT 1ST CTCD HOUSTON APCH CTL, THE GALVESTON WX WAS IN PART: INDEFINITE CEILING, 100' OBSCD, VIS 3/16 MI WITH FOG. AT 0718, THE PLT WAS ADZD OF NEW WX WHICH WAS IN PART: SKY PARTIALLY OBSCD, 300' THIN SCATTERED, CEILING 800' OVC, VIS 3/4 MI WITH FOG. AT 0736, THE PLT WAS ADZD OF A SPCL WX OBS, WHICH WAS IN PART: SKY PARTIALLY OBSCD, 300' THIN SCATTERED, 800' OVC, VIS 3/16 MI WITH FOG. A SUBSEQUENT WX OBS (NOT AVAIL TO PLT WHEN HE WAS CLRD FOR THE APCH AT 0742) WAS IN PART: 300' OBSCD, VIS 1/16 MI WITH FOG. WX MINS FOR THE ILS APCH WERE: 200' CEILING & 1/2 MI VIS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 955 hours in all; 760 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,510 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 23, 1988; 140 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SHV Shreveport LA at 11:03 am
- Destination: GLS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 6,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from GLS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.