Cessna 150M accident near Tishomingo, Oklahoma, April 10, 2021
On April 10, 2021 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 150M, registered N439WT, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Tishomingo, Oklahoma (Tishomingo Airpark airport). 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to abort the takeoff on encountering a wind gust and his landing beyond the end of the runway that resulted in the airplane impacting a ditch collapsing the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2021 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tishomingo, Oklahoma · Tishomingo Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M, built 1976 · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N439WT · no longer on the register · serial 15077917
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was taking off on personal flight when a gust of wind lifted the airplane’s wing, and the airplane became airborne during his corrective control input. The pilot continued the climbout and attempted to gain airspeed, but the airplane did not accelerate and seemed to slow. The pilot elected to land the airplane to avoid trees that were ahead of him. The airplane touched down on a grass area just beyond the end of the runway but impacted in a drainage ditch about 100 ft. beyond the departure end of the runway that collapsed the nose landing gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts at the nose landing gear. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations and that the engine was making power at impact. At the time of the accident, the pilot was taking off on runway 35 with a quartering wind from the northwest. The pilot reported that he may have encountered wind shear over the treetops which might have kept him low and slow to accelerate.
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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Other weather encounter during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 412 hours in all; 380 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: August 3, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,976 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 35, 3,100 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.91 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from ADM, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on September 23, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Request for Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Correspondence - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Wreckage Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Weather | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.