Cessna 172N accident near Yoakum, Texas, July 6, 1998
On July 6, 1998 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5103D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yoakum, Texas (Yoakum Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind resulting in a loss of control. 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
- July 6, 1998 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Yoakum, Texas · Yoakum Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5103D · no longer on the register · serial 17272423
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During landing, the student pilot, who was on a solo cross country flight, lost control of the airplane. Upon touchdown with a right crosswind, the student pilot allowed the airplane to drift left, and the left wheel went off the pavement. The airplane then veered right, exited the right side of the runway, and impacted a runway identification sign.
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: student
- Flight time: 70 hours in all; 69 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 15 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,573 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 31, 1998; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: National Aviation Services INC
The flight
- Departed from: DWH Houston TX
- Destination: T85
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,439 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 15 knots
- Sky: scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5103D 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.