Cessna 152 accident near Marietta, Oklahoma, June 11, 2005
On June 11, 2005 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N47962, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marietta, Oklahoma (Mcghee Catfish Restaurant 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 failure to maintain directional control while executing a soft field take off. A factor was the prevailing dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2005 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Marietta, Oklahoma · Mcghee Catfish Restaurant · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N47962 · no longer on the register · serial 15283264
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 81-hour private pilot was attempting a soft-field take off from a 2,450-foot-long and 55-foot-wide, turf runway at night when he drifted to the left side of the runway. The pilot reported that the combination of the nose high attitude used for a soft-field take off, the bouncing of the aircraft on the rough terrain, and the infrequently spaced, nonstandard runway edge lights made it difficult to determine the airplane's proximity to the runway edge. The pilot also said that before he realized the airplane's location on the runway and before he was able to take corrective action, the airplane impacted foliage and descended down a steep embankment. The airplane spun about 180 degrees to the left as it traveled down the embankment and came to rest in thick vegetation. The winds were light at the time of the accident.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 81 hours in all; 81 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-235 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Skymates, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: T40 Marietta OK
- Destination: GKY Arlington TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.