Cessna 190 accident near Lurton, Arkansas, April 7, 2001
On April 7, 2001 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna 190, registered N1055D, was destroyed in an accident near Lurton, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC, which resulted in spatial disorientation and the ensuing loss of aircraft control while in cruise flight. Contributory factors were the haze and fog weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 2001 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lurton, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 190 · all 190s on the register
- Registration
- N1055D · no longer on the register · serial 7667
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated private pilot was flying at 7,500 feet on a cross-country flight when he reported to air traffic control (ATC) that he wanted to descend due to "haze." The flight descended to 5,200 feet and the pilot requested another descent; however, ATC informed the pilot that they would not have radar contact with the airplane below 5,500 feet. The pilot elected to stay at 5,500 feet and repeated that it was hazy. The final radar data depicted the airplane descending and making a right corkscrew ground track. A witness, who was located in the vicinity of the accident site, heard the sound of a "motor speed up," and heard an aircraft clear a ridge and impact the ground. After the impact, he saw the "flash of a fire ball." The witness added that it was "too foggy" to see the airplane. According to local residents, the weather was foggy and misty at the time of the accident. The airplane's outboard wing sections separated in overload and came to rest in trees on the north side of a ridge. The fuselage impacted trees and terrain on the south side of the ridge approximately 0.2 miles from the outboard wing sections. Its measured descent angle was 50 degrees. All of the control cable and structural separations were consistent with an overload failure. It is unknown how much, if any, instrument or simulated instrument flight time the pilot had accumulated. Metabolites of cocaine were found in the pilot's muscle tissue; however, it could not be determined when the pilot may have used cocaine.
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: 475 hours in all; 150 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,744 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs 275 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: K50 Derby KS at 4:00 pm
- Destination: TUP Tupelo MS
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- 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.