Cessna 172 accident near Mckinney, Texas, January 24, 2018
On January 24, 2018 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 2013 Cessna 172, registered N9520Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mckinney, Texas (Mckinney National 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper approach and landing flare, which resulted in a porpoised landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 24, 2018 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mckinney, Texas · Mckinney National · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2013 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N9520Z · registry record · serial 172S11278
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, during the approach to land, the airplane was high, and as she descended, the airspeed increased. She added that, during the touchdown, the airplane bounced three times, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- 550090 during descent
- 550094 during descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Ratings: none, none, none, none
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,128.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 10, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 2,159 hours total
- Operator: Menagerie Enterprises, Inc.
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: TKI Mckinney TX at 4:45 pm
- Destination: TKI Mckinney TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 7,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°C, dew point 21°C
- Altimeter: 30.48 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KTKI, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 GAA18CA143.