Cessna 152 accident near Stillwater, Oklahoma, April 8, 2005
On April 8, 2005 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N68472, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stillwater, Oklahoma (Stillwater Regional Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 2005 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Stillwater, Oklahoma · Stillwater Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N68472 · no longer on the register · serial 15282308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A 26-hour student pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings on his second solo flight. On his fifth solo landing, he touched down slightly to the right of the center line. He felt the main wheels touch down, followed by the nose wheel. At that time, "the airplane made a sharp turn to the left." The student pilot thought that he still had some throttle in, and he applied right rudder. He "felt the airplane tip to the left" and was afraid that the airplane "might tip over," so he proceeded off the runway. After exiting the runway, the left main landing gear collided with an airport directional sign. The airplane then came to a stop. The pilot performed the proper shut-down procedures, contacted the tower to report the accident, and exited the airplane, uninjured. When asked how this accident could have been prevented, the pilot stated, "proper use of the rudder pedals to maintain center line."
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 26 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,185 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 2, 2005; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Oklahoma State University Flight Center
The flight
- Departed from: SWO Stillwater OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 7,401 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from PNC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N68472 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.