Cessna 172S accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, December 27, 2006
On December 27, 2006 at about 2:15 am local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N159RA, was destroyed in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Richard Lloyd Jones JR airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a hangar and parked airplane during the unauthorized use of an airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 2006 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Richard Lloyd Jones JR · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N159RA · registry record
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A private pilot, who had been denied authorization by the operator to rent the airplane for a night flight, gained access to the ignition key for the single-engine airplane, and proceeded to attempt the unauthorized flight. The airplane collided with a hangar and a parked airplane while taxiing for departure. A post impact fire ensued. The pilot exited the airplane's side window unassisted and fled the accident site. Before the accident, the pilot had informed the flight school dispatcher that a flight instructor was en route to the airport to provide him with a biannual flight review. The pilot was authorized to perform a preflight inspection of the airplane while waiting for the instructor to arrive. The pilot mentioned that he wanted to start the airplane's engine to make sure it was operational. The dispatcher informed the pilot that he needed to wait until the flight instructor arrived. Unbeknown to the dispatcher, the pilot had taken the airplane's ignition key from the office. A short time later the dispatcher heard an airplane engine start followed by a "crash sound and then a loud boom or explosion." The flight instructor, with whom the pilot had reportedly talked to on the night of the accident, reported that he had not received any calls from the pilot on the evening of the accident. The day after the accident it was discovered that ignition switches in two rental airplanes parked near the accident airplane had been tampered with. The ignition switch had been pulled loose from one airplane and the other airplane's ignition switch had been removed. Reportedly the pilot committed suicide approximately two weeks later.
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
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,445 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RVS Tulsa OK at 2:15 am
- Destination: Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from RVS
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.
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.