Cessna 172E accident near Waxahachie, Texas, February 1, 1997
On February 1, 1997 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N5598T, was destroyed in an accident near Waxahachie, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factors was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 1, 1997 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Waxahachie, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N5598T · no longer on the register · serial 17251498
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and his student were practicing touch and go landings. During climb out from the second touch and go, the instructor pilot informed the student that he 'had a simulated engine failure', and then reduced the throttle. After the student turned toward a field, the instructor increased the throttle, but the aircraft 'developed an excessive sink.' After the instructor maneuvered to avoid trees the aircraft impacted the ground. The instructor pilot reported that he did not have 'very much time' to set up for the forced landing due to the low altitude and close proximity to trees. He added that two pilots who flew the aircraft in the past told him that they had experienced 'similar' intermittent power loss problems with the aircraft. After these events, mechanical examinations of the engine by the airframe and powerplant certificated instructor pilot did not reveal any defects. During an examination of the engine, throttle and mixture linkages were intact and revealed no defects. After cleaning mud deposits from the carburetor body (impact related), the engine was operated successfully while still mounted in the airframe. The reported power loss could not be duplicated.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 3,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,785 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 1996; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F25 at 11:00 pm
- Destination: GPM Grand Prarie TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.