Cessna 170B accident near Manvel, Texas, November 15, 1996
On November 15, 1996 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N25JM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manvel, Texas (Wolfe Air Park airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Loss of aircraft control due to the pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind. A factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 1996 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Manvel, Texas · Wolfe Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N25JM · registry record · serial 27004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was attempting to land the airplane on runway 20 with a gusty south crosswind. As he started the landing flare, 'approximately one to two feet above the runway, a sudden left gust displaced the airplane to the right of the runway.' A go-around was initiated. 'While attempting to gain [a] greater airspeed, the airplane was displaced further to the right of the runway,' struck a tree, and subsequently impacted a historical marker. At 0949, 11 minutes prior to the accident, the winds at the Houston Hobby International Airport in Houston, Texas, 10 nautical miles from the accident site, were from 120 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 22 knots.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,638 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,386 as pilot in command; 80 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,149 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 1996; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T02 Houston TX at 3:45 pm
- Destination: 3TA1
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 3,180 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.