Teen has only minor injuries after crashing this 172: I was driving by the airport today and saw them strapping this up to the trailer. I remember the story when it hit the news in January, but never saw any photos. It is amazing that the 18 year old pilot only had minor injuries. I am sure there is much to be learned from this incident.
The following was posted on KPRC News: According to deputies, the teen called around 10 p.m. saying that a Cessna 172 single-engine plane he was flying crashed. Authorities said he couldn’t give his exact location but told dispatchers he was hurting, cold, and wet. Dispatchers were able to ping his phone and discovered he was about 3,800 feet south of the Cleveland Airport runway and close to Tarkington Bayou, which had been flooding, deputies said. The teen was reportedly taking the plane to Cleveland for service work and was to meet his father there. Authorities said the aircraft took off from an airport near Telge and SH 99 in west Harris County at 9:08 p.m., but dropped from the tracking around 9:38 p.m. The teen never flew over 1,700 feet and his altitude was quite sporadic throughout the flight, at times getting down to 1,200 feet with a speed of 100 MPH, investigators said. Authorities said the runway lights at the airport were not operational and had not been for a long time. It is unknown if the young pilot realized that there was no lighting on the runways as he approached the airport, authorities said.
The following was posted on KPRC News: According to deputies, the teen called around 10 p.m. saying that a Cessna 172 single-engine plane he was flying crashed. Authorities said he couldn’t give his exact location but told dispatchers he was hurting, cold, and wet. Dispatchers were able to ping his phone and discovered he was about 3,800 feet south of the Cleveland Airport runway and close to Tarkington Bayou, which had been flooding, deputies said. The teen was reportedly taking the plane to Cleveland for service work and was to meet his father there. Authorities said the aircraft took off from an airport near Telge and SH 99 in west Harris County at 9:08 p.m., but dropped from the tracking around 9:38 p.m. The teen never flew over 1,700 feet and his altitude was quite sporadic throughout the flight, at times getting down to 1,200 feet with a speed of 100 MPH, investigators said. Authorities said the runway lights at the airport were not operational and had not been for a long time. It is unknown if the young pilot realized that there was no lighting on the runways as he approached the airport, authorities said.
