Cessna 172P accident near Arlington, Texas, May 13, 1994
On May 13, 1994 at about 2:06 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N98723, was destroyed in an accident near Arlington, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON, WHILE MANEUVERING IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 1994 · about 2:06 am local time
- Place
- Arlington, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N98723 · registry record · serial 17276339
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS EXISTED WHEN THE PILOT RENTED THE AIRPLANE & TOOK OFF WITH ONE PASSENGER ABOARD. THE FIXED BASE OPERATOR HAD STAYED OPEN BEYOND NORMAL HOURS AFTER THE PILOT CALLED & STATED HE WANTED TO MAKE THE LATE RENTAL. ABOUT 20 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, WITNESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE FLYING ON A SOUTHEASTERLY HEADING IN WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, ABOUT 1000 TO 1500 FEET AGL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THEY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE ENTER A STEEP RIGHT BANK & DIVE TOWARD THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A WINGS LEVEL, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE ON A HEADING OF WEST. IT DISINTEGRATED DURING IMPACT. IMPACT OCCURRED ABOUT 2.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. A TOXICOLOGY TEST OF THE PILOT'S BLOOD WAS POSITIVE FOR DIPHENHYDRAMINE (AN OVER-THE-COUNTER ANTIHISTAMINE) AT A CONCENTRATION OF 0.3 MG/L (WITHIN A THERAPEUTIC RANGE). DIPHENHYDRAMINE WAS NOT APPROVED FOR USE WHILE FLYING.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,029 hours in all; 3,928 as pilot in command; 694 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cothron Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Destination: F54
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from DFW, 15 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW94FA155.