Cessna 172N accident near Kerrville, Texas, September 9, 1995
On September 9, 1995 at about 4:00 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4918G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kerrville, Texas (Kerrville Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight preparation and his failure to use all the available runway. A factor was the dark night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 1995 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Kerrville, Texas · Kerrville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4918G · no longer on the register · serial 17272465
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was being operated as a personal night cross-country flight. The pilot taxied from the ramp located near the helipad to runway 20 via the taxiway that crosses near the midpoint of the runway. Instead of turning right onto runway 20 and back taxiing to the end of the runway, he turned left and attempted to takeoff using approximatly 1,300 feet of the 4,050-foot runway. After realizing he was running out of runway, the pilot aborted the takeoff. The airplane came to rest approximately 150 feet beyond the runway in a ditch.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 604 hours in all; 114 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 553 as pilot in command; 209 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,283 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 18, 1995; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAT San Antonio TX at 3:00 am
- Destination: ERV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 4,050 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N4918G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.