Cessna 172M N13246

Summary

On 8 March 2008 at about 23:15 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N13246 was involved in an accident near Gun Barrel City, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 March 2008 at 23:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Gun Barrel City, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.0333, -96.1428

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N13246

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Athens → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW08FA078

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to avoid the transmission line. A contributing factor was the pilot's decision to perform a low-level maneuver.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-certificated pilot was attempting to "buzz" an acquaintance located in a park area by an elementary school. While maneuvering toward the field, the airplane's right wing contacted a transmission line. The pilot lost control of the airplane and impacted the ground. A post-accident investigation of the airplane and engine did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies. The toxicology report noted low levels of an inactive metabolite of marihuana in the blood and urine, implying only that the pilot had used marijuana in the previous days or weeks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.