Cessna 551 accident near Stillwater, Oklahoma, May 5, 2009
On May 5, 2009 at about 7:49 pm local time, a Cessna 551, registered N740JB, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Stillwater, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2009 · about 7:49 pm local time
- Place
- Stillwater, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 551 · all 551s on the register
- Registration
- N740JB · registry record · serial 551-0359
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after leveling off at 16,000 feet with the autopilot engaged, he began to review his charts preparing for landing. When he went back to a visual scan of the instruments, he noted that the flight director was flagged off and that both the pilot and co-pilot attitude indicators were off. The pilot declared an emergency with air traffic control, reduced the throttles to idle, and pulled back on the controls. After the airplane came out of the bottom of the clouds and the pilot regained visual contact with the ground, the airplane was in a 60-degree left turn at approximately 80 knots of airspeed. After the pilot regained control, the flight director and all instruments began working again. The pilot then re-engaged the autopilot and continued to his destination, where he landed without further incident. Examination of the flight director system, gyros, and attitude indicators at the aircraft manufacturer’s facilities failed to identify a failure or malfunction with the flight instruments.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Electrical system malf/failure during enroute (cruise)
- Flight instrument malf/fail during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Auto flight system › Autopilot system › Malfunction
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Indicating/recording systems › (general) › Malfunction
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Navigation system › Attitude gyro & indication › Malfunction
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,036 hours in all; 168 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 10,396 as pilot in command; 3,986 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 5, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,125 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 29, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W Canada JT15D-4 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada JT15D-4 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ballard Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: KSWO Stillwater OK at 7:30 pm
- Destination: KICT Wichita KS
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KSWO, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N740JB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN09LA281.