Cessna 172 N565SP
29 January 2019 · Grand Prairie, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 29 January 2019 at about 19:29 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N565SP, operated by Skymates Flight Academy, was involved in an accident near Grand Prairie, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:29
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Grand Prairie, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Grand Prairie Muni (GPM)
- Coordinates
- 32.6347, -96.9703
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172
- Registration
- N565SP
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2000
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Skymates Flight Academy
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Grand Prairie → Grand Prairie
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN19LA074
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The failure of the pilots of both airplanes to see and avoid the other airplane while entering the airport traffic pattern in visual meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the tower controller's failure to recognize the proximity of the airplanes to each other, to issue a safety alert to the pilots of either airplane, and to establish a landing sequence for the airplanes.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructors/student pilots of two Cessna airplanes, N565SP and N52243, were each returning from local instructional flights. The N565SP pilot contacted the tower and reported being near the southern tip of a lake, about 10 miles south of the airport; the tower controller instructed the pilot to enter a left downwind for runway 17. About 45 seconds later, the N52243 pilot contacted the tower and reported being 7 miles south of the airport; the tower controller also instructed that pilot to enter a left downwind for runway 17. Radar data indicated that, about this time, the airplanes were within about 0.1 nautical mile laterally and 100 ft vertically of each other. The flightpaths of the airplanes remained in close proximity for about the next 58 seconds (1.6 miles), with the airplanes' altitudes remaining within 100 ft of each other. About 30 seconds after the N52243 pilot contacted the tower, the N565SP pilot requested verification of the assigned transponder code. During the tower controller's transmission response, an audible conflict alert could be heard in the control tower cab. The controller did not issue a safety alert or advise either airplane's pilots that another airplane was in the same proximity. About 20 seconds later, the controller instructed the N52243 pilot to start a turn toward the northeast corner of the lake. The airplanes then collided, and the N52243 pilot declared an emergency. The N565SP pilot subsequently transmitted that an airplane had "hit us from the back" and that there had been a collision. The pilots of both airplanes maintained control of the airplanes and landed; both airplanes sustained substantial damage during the collision. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed. Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations 91.113 requires that, when weather conditions permit, "vigilance shall be maintained by each person operating an aircraft so as to see and avoid other aircraft." The pilots of both airplanes did not maintain an effective traffic scan as they entered the traffic pattern, nor did they exercise the vigilance necessary to see and avoid the other airplane. In addition, Federal Aviation Administration Joint Order 7110.65 indicates that a controller should give first priority to "separating aircraft and issuing safety alerts." The tower controller did not recognize the proximity of the airplanes to each other, provide a safety alert to the pilots of either airplane, or establish a landing sequence that provided proper airplane spacing to the runway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 172 S | N565SP | Skymates Flight Academy | Substantial |
| Cessna 172 S | N52243 | Skymates Flight Academy | Substantial |
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 2019 | Cessna 172 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | T&G Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jun 2019 | Cessna 172 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Westwind School of Aeronautics Phoenix Llc | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jul 2019 | Cessna 172 | Anji, China | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 May 2019 | Cessna 172 | Dexter, Michigan, United States | Solo Aviation | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 2019 | Cessna 172 | DuBois, Pennsylvania, United States | Hobart Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 2019 | Cessna 172 | Lakeway, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 2019 | Robinson R22 | Danbury, Texas, United States | Standard Aviation Svcs | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Cessna A185 | Conroe, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Aug 2019 | Jonker Sailplanes JS1C | Cotulla, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Van's VANS RV-10 | Lancaster, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2019 | Textron B-300 | Addison, Texas, United States | S&H Aircraft | Fatal | 10 |
| 16 Nov 2019 | Cessna 152 | Sherman/Dennison, Texas, United States | US Aviation Group Llc | No injuries | - |