Cessna 150L accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, January 1, 2006
On January 1, 2006 at about 1:36 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N18132, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Tulsa International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper preflight planning and preparation, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 2006 · about 1:36 am local time · cases in 2006
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Tulsa International · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N18132 · no longer on the register · serial 15073810
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 519-hour private pilot departed on a 307-nautical mile round-robin cross country flight in a single-engine airplane. During the return flight, the pilot elected to land at an intermediate airport to purchase additional fuel; however, it was a national holiday and no one answered his repeated calls to the "after-hours" phone number. The pilot then asked another pilot where the closest airport was located so he could purchase fuel, and was informed of an airport about 20 miles away. The pilot proceeded to fly towards that airport but was unable to make radio contact with someone at the fixed base operator (FBO) to help him purchase additional fuel. The pilot then elected to fly to much larger airport about 34.4 nautical miles beyond his position, where he knew he could purchase fuel. The pilot stated that he encountered a significant headwind, but calculated that he had sufficient fuel on-board to complete the flight. When the airplane was established on final approach, the engine stopped producing power and the airplane impacted trees and terrain about a mile short of the runway. Examination of the airplane's fuel system revealed there was 1.5 gallons of fuel onboard 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: 519 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Prairie Air Service Inc
The flight
- Departed from: BVO Bartlesville OK
- Destination: TUL Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N18132: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 150 7,994 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200 329 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Tulsa International · nearest airport
- Bartlesville Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Oklahoma 1,300 since 1982 · 181 in the last ten years
- Oklahoma 5,647 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DFW06CA045.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.