David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Spring, Texas 77379
Sunday, November 17, 2013 19:15 CST

On November 17, 2013, at 1915 central standard time, a Cessna model 152 airplane, N555UF, was substantially damaged during a forced landing at the David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH), Spring, Texas. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to WBR Interests LLC and operated by United Flight Systems, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, without a flight plan. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area training flight that had departed DWH at 1900. According to preliminary air traffic control (ATC) data, the purpose of the instructional flight was to remain in the local traffic pattern to practice nighttime takeoffs and landings. At 1900:24, the tower controller cleared the accident flight for takeoff and to remain in a left traffic pattern for touch-and-go landings on runway 17R (7,009 feet by 100 feet, asphalt). The accident airplane was first observed on radar about 150 feet above ground level (agl) while on the upwind leg. The airplane continued to make left traffic for runway 17R before being cleared for the first touch-and-go landing at 1904:40. At 1906:48, the airplane descended below available radar coverage while on a 1/4 mile final for runway 17R. The airplane reemerged on radar at 1908:15, about 1/4 mile south of the runway departure threshold at about 250 feet agl. The airplane continued to make left traffic for runway 17R before being cleared for the second touch-and-go landing at 1911:10. At 1913:48, the last radar return was recorded for the accident flight about 1/3 mile north of the runway approach threshold at about 150 feet agl. At 1914:42, the flight instructor told the tower controller that they were having "engine problems" and requested to make a 180-degree turn back to the airport for a landing. (The airplane had completed the touch-and-go landing and was on initial climb when the flight instructor reported the loss of engine power.) A witness reported hearing the accident airplane while it was on a left downwind leg for runway 17R and remarked that the sound of the engine was abnormal. The same witness reported that the engine continued to run rough while the airplane was on initial climb following a touch-and-go landing. Several witnesses to the accident reported seeing the accident airplane in a steep left turn before it entered a near vertical descent into terrain. Two of these witnesses reported seeing the wingtip navigation and strobe lights in a near vertical line (indicating a near 90-degree bank angle) before the airplane banked past 90-degrees and descended nose-low into the terrain. At 1853, the DWH automated surface observing system reported: calm wind, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 23 degrees Celsius, dew point 21 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.89 inches-of-mercury. The United States Naval Observatory reported that the sunset and end of civil twilight at DWH was at 1725 and 1751, respectively. The moonrise was at 1742 for the full-phase moon.

Not Yet Reported