Cessna 172P accident near Georgetown, Texas, May 10, 1998
On May 10, 1998 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N99570, was substantially damaged in an accident near Georgetown, Texas (Georgetown Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate supervision by the flight instructor (CFI), by failing to ensure that the student obtained and/or maintained sufficient airspeed, which led to an inadvertent stall and collision with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 1998 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Georgetown, Texas · Georgetown Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N99570 · no longer on the register · serial 172-76470
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to law enforcement personnel that responded to the accident site, the 18 hour student pilot was undergoing a phase check with his flight instructor (CFI). While demonstrating a soft field takeoff from runway 36, the student held the nose of the airplane in a very high attitude after the airplane lifted off. The CFI stated that 'the airspeed decayed rapidly and the airplane stalled.' He said that he took the controls 'too late to rescue the airplane.' Subsequent to the stall, the airplane touched down hard on one wheel and started to drift off the runway. The operator reported that the airplane came to rest in the infield area, approximately 65 feet from the runway. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that both wings, the fuselage, and the engine firewall had sustained structural damage.
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: 8,270 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 7,964 as pilot in command; 4,356 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,504 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 1998; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GTU
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.