Cessna 172F accident near Lubbock, Texas, July 29, 1992
On July 29, 1992 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5718R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lubbock, Texas (Town And Country Airpark 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 PILOT UNDER INSTRUCTION MISJUDGED HIS DISTANCE AND ALTITUDE DURING A SIMULATED FORCED LANDING, AND THE CFI FAILED TO TAKE TIMELY ACTION TO PREVENT THE ACCIDENT AS A RESULT OF HIS ALCOHOLIC IMPAIRMENT OF EFFICIENCY AND JUDGEMENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 1992 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lubbock, Texas · Town And Country Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5718R · no longer on the register · serial 17253381
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 6,700 FT MSL, AND OVER THE AIRPORT, POWER WAS PULLED BACK FOR A GLIDING SPIRAL TO THE AIRPORT. ON SHORT FINAL, THE AIRPLANE WAS HIGH AND NOT ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY. DURING A SLIP THE AIRPLANE HIT A MOUND OF DIRT ABOUT 75 FT SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE CFI'S APPLICATION FOR A NEW MEDICAL CERTIFICATE HAD BEEN DENIED; HE FAILED TO REPORT 'A DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED' CONVICTION ON HIS APPLICATION. A STATE TROOPER SUMMONED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE REPORTED THAT AS HE SPOKE TO THE CFI HE '...DID STILL HAVE A STRONG ODOR OF SOME TYPE OF ALCOHOL COMING FROM HIS BREATH AND HIS PERSON.' THE CFI'S RESULTS OF PERFORMING FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS INDICATED INTOXICATION.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F82 at 10:45 am
- Destination: F82
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.