Probable cause
The pilot's failure to correctly set the altimeter, which resulted in his erroneous perception that the airplane was at a safe altitude.
NTSB analysis
According to the pilot, it was dark when he arrived at his destination. He saw the airport's rotating beacon but was unable to remotely activate the runway lights. He maneuvered the airplane onto the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, extended the flaps and reduced engine power. He thought the airplane was 900 feet above the ground when the airplane impacted terrain approximately 2-1/2 miles east of the airport. At the accident site, the altimeter read 7,500 feet. The terrain was approximately 2,800 feet. There were no mechanical anomalies found with the airplane.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN11LA153 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jan 17, 2011
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Clarendon, Texas
- Nearest airport
- Smiley Johnson Mun/Bass Field (E34)
- Highest injury
- Serious
- Serious injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Night, dark
Cessna 172A
- N-number
- N7262T
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.