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FTW88FA114

1988-06-06 · HOUSTON, Texas, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport IWS

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

CESSNA N96957 WAS INVOLVED IN A MIDAIR COLLISION WITH MOONEY N231QB WHILE BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE LANDING AT THE UNCONTROLLED WEST HOUSTON-LAKESIDE AIRPORT. THE PILOTS OF THE CESSNA AIRCRAFT WERE IN THE RECTANGULAR PATTERN PRACTICING TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS. THE MOONEY AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNING ON A STRAIGHT-IN APPROACH AFTER AN INSTRUMENT TRAINING FLIGHT. THE MOONEY WAS ABOVE AND OVERTAKING THE CESSNA. THE COLLISION OCCURRED WHILE BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE IN THE LANDING FLARES. THE MOONEY'S PROPELLER SEVERED THE EMPENNAGE OF THE CESSNA. THE CESSNA NOSED UP INTO AN INVERTED ATTITUDE AND STRUCK THE TAIL OF THE MOONEY BEFORE CRASHING ON THE RUNWAY. THE MOONEY MADE A SAFE LANDING. THE MOONEY SECOND PILOT STATED LATER THAT THE PILOT (MOONEY) WAS HIGH AND SLIPPED THE AIRCRAFT FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE FINAL PREVENTING THE SECOND PILOT FROM SEEING FORWARD AND DOWN. THE MOONEY PILOTS DID NOT NOTE THE ANNOUNCED POSITION OF THE CESSNA IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN OR A WARNING FROM ANOTHER PILOT THAT THERE WERE TWO ACFT LNDG. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1988_FTW88FA114.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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