N517LACessna 172S · 2009

On July 13, 2019, about 1030 central daylight time, a Cessna 172S airplane, N517LA, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Katy, Texas. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot had rented the airplane to conduct a personal flight in the local area. A review of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data showed that the airplane departed from runway 33 at West Houston Airport (IWS), Houston, Texas, about 1026 and made a left turn to the southwest. The airplane continued to travel southwest over Interstate 10 (I-10). The airplane traveled to the south of the Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital and then continued to the west before it disappeared from radar near South Fry Road. The final 1.5 minutes of flight track data showed the airspeed increased from 104 kts to 151 kts and the altitude descended from 1,050 ft to about 300 ft.

The airplane impacted a tree, followed by a parking lot, and then a building that was located at the Mason Creek Community Center in Katy, Texas. There were no ground injuries.

A witness who was playing tennis with seven other people at the community tennis courts observed and heard the accident airplane and thought that the airplane was going to land on the open field next to the community center. The airplane was "very low" and it "banked to the right." The airplane "slipped up" and then impacted the parking lot and building, followed by an explosion and fire. The witness reported that, while in flight, the engine sounded "totally revved with a high pitch" and did not produce any abnormal sounds.

A flight instructor employed at IWS flew an instructional flight in the accident airplane on the morning of the accident for 1.6 hours. The instructor reported that flight operations were conducted in the IWS traffic pattern and there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine.

A review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed no evidence of any uncorrected mechanical discrepancies.

A flight instructor employed at IWS flew an instructional flight in the accident airplane on the morning of the accident for 1.6 hours. The instructor reported that flight operations were conducted in the IWS traffic pattern and there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine.

A review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed no evidence of any uncorrected mechanical discrepancies.

The accident site was located 112 ft above mean sea level and about 4 miles southwest of IWS. The initial impact point was a 60-ft-tall pine tree that displayed damage to several of its branches. Northwest of the damaged pine tree and on the north side of a parking lot, ground scars consistent with rotation of the propeller blades were observed. The airplane fragmented into several sections upon impact with a small wood and concrete block building and was consumed by a postcrash fire.

Flight control continuity was established for the airframe. All structural components of the airplane were located at the accident site. Examination found no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Whether the airplane's Garmin GFC 700 digital autopilot system was in use at the time of the accident could not be determined.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Houston, Texas, conducted an autopsy of the pilot. The cause of death was attributed to multiple, blunt force injuries.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed toxicology tests on specimens from the pilot; testing was negative for ethanol. Losartan was detected in the muscle and liver. Tests for carbon monoxide and cyanide was not performed.

IWS is a privately owned, public use airport that has a Title 14 CFR Part 61 flight school that utilizes the Cessna 172S airplane and the Cessna R-182RG airplane.