Cessna 550 accident near Odessa, Texas, August 20, 2024
On August 20, 2024 at about 12:00 pm local time, a 1991 Cessna 550, registered N689VP, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Odessa, Texas (Odessa-Schlemeyer Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2024 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Odessa, Texas · Odessa-Schlemeyer Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 550, built 1991 · all 550s on the register
- Registration
- N689VP · registry record · serial 550-0689
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 20, 2024, about 0700 central daylight time, a Cessna 550 airplane, N689VP, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Odessa, Texas. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. A person on the ground was seriously injured. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The airplane departed Odessa Airport-Schlemeyer Field (ODO), Odessa, Texas, from runway 16. A pilot-certificated witness heard the airplane’s engines and noted that they sounded unusual, so he went to observe the airplane. He saw the airplane as it flew down the last 1/3 portion of the 5,003 ft long runway, about 10 ft above ground level in a near level attitude. The airplane then collided with power lines and a restaurant building. Impact signatures were consistent with the airplane colliding with power lines and a one-story restaurant. The right main landing gear sheared and was entangled in the building’s roof. The airplane came to rest about 150 yards south and impacted two garage areas. A post impact fire ensued which consumed a majority of the airplane. Remnants of all the primary flight controls were located at the accident site. The parking brake valve was located and found in the disengaged position. A cockpit voice recorder was located in the wreckage and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board vehicle recorders lab for download. The airplane was retained for further examination.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff defining event
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 15,100 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KODO Odessa TX at 12:00 pm
- Destination: KEFD Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 6,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.16 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from KODO, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KODO 201153Z AUTO 19007KT 10SM CLR 27/14 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP157 T02670144 10300 20267 53004
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CEN24FA320.