Piper PA-28-180 accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, December 16, 2000
On December 16, 2000 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N7859W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Richard Lloyd Jones JR airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the certified flight instructor's (CFI) failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing. A contributing factor was the gusty wind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 2000 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Richard Lloyd Jones JR · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7859W · no longer on the register · serial 28-1880
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was receiving an airplane checkout from a certified flight instructor (CFI). The private pilot taxied the airplane to runway 31, departed, and during the initial takeoff climb the CFI noted to the private pilot that there was a crosswind from the east. They decided to remain in the pattern and execute a landing to a full stop. The CFI reported that due to the 'choppy conditions' the private pilot 'kept the airspeed a little higher than normal' during the final approach. During the landing flare/touchdown, the airplane touched down, bounced, and drifted left of the runway centerline. The private pilot initiated a go-around; however, the CFI assumed control of the airplane, reduced the throttle to idle, and attempted to land the airplane. As the airplane was descending back to the runway, a 'wind gust caught the airplane from the right,' and subsequently, the airplane departed the runway. The airplane contacted a snow bank off the left side of the runway, crossed a taxiway, and came to a stop upright.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,400 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 8,200 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,332 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 2000; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RVS Tulsa OK at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,807 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from RVS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N7859W 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.