Cessna 172M N13368

Summary

On 9 July 2003 at about 14:53 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N13368 was involved in an accident near McAllen, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 July 2003 at 14:53

Classification

Accident

Location

McAllen, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

McAllen Miller International (MFE)

Coordinates

26.1811, -98.2478

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N13368

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Edinburg Int'l → McAllen

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03FA184

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to recover from a bounced landing which resulted in a loss of control. Contributing factors were the gusty winds.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was returning to its home base from a local, round-robin flight. Witnesses reported that the accident aircraft was on final approach, when the pilot, without advising the tower, performed a 360-degree left turn. After the 360-degree turn, the aircraft proceeded inbound to the runway. Both witnesses observed the airplane touch down approximately 1,000 feet down the runway on the right main landing gear, bounce once, and start a slow turn to the right. The witnesses also stated that the airplane climbed to about 50 feet AGL, descended slightly, and struck the top of a 40-foot high tree just outside of the airport perimeter fence before nose-diving into the ground. The airplane then burst into flames. No mechanical anomalies were revealed during an examination of the airplane or logbooks. The reported wind conditions at the time of the accident were; 150 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 21 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.