Cessna 172RG accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, September 28, 2010
On September 28, 2010 at about 3:38 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N5145U, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A shorted terminal lug on the landing gear hydraulic pump which resulted in a cabin fire. Contributing to the accident was the lack of clear installation procedures for the hydraulic pump.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2010 · about 3:38 pm local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N5145U · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0258
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), the landing gear was lowered once during the instructional flight while practicing a slow flight maneuver. When the pilots returned to the airport and lowered the landing gear in preparation for landing, flames erupted from under the instrument panel and the carpet on the floor caught fire. The pilots declared an emergency before the radio failed. They pulled the mixture control to the idle cutoff position, but the fuel selector could not be turned off due to the flames. The cabin filled with smoke, the instruments were unreadable, and the pilots had difficulty breathing. The CFI opened his (left) door, causing the airplane to yaw to the left, and he used right rudder to compensate, while the rudder pedals were engulfed in flames. In the ensuing forced landing, the instructor was able to avoid power lines but was unable to clear a fence. The airplane struck the fence and came to a stop suddenly. Examination of the airplane revealed that the terminal lug on the hydraulic pump was improperly covered and had shorted. Additionally, the installation procedures for the hydraulic pump did not provide clear guidance on the proper method to cap the terminal lug.
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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Hydraulic power system › (general) › Malfunction
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Other/unknown
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,420 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 161 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 2,344 as pilot in command; 1,534 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 1, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 378 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 312 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,026 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 2010; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Spartan Aviation Industries, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: RVS Tulsa OK at 2:20 pm
- Destination: RVS Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from RVS, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.