Cessna 182Q accident near Sugar Land, Texas, June 25, 1997
On June 25, 1997 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N96TJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sugar Land, Texas (Sugar Land Muni Field). It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper landing flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1997 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sugar Land, Texas · Sugar Land Muni Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N96TJ · registry record · serial 18266888
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he intended to fly to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Approximately 20 minutes into his flight, the pilot reversed his course and returned to Sugar Land Municipal Airport due to weather. The pilot reported that he 'flared the airplane too high' and 'on returning to earth there was a loud crunch from the front nose wheel and the aircraft veered sharply to the left.' The pilot added that the airplane crossed the taxiway and came to rest in a ditch on the east side of Runway 17.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 125 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 61 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,996 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 23, 1997; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGR at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:36 pm from SGR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 FTW97LA234.