Cessna 152 accident near Bristow, Oklahoma, January 4, 2001
On January 4, 2001 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N68472, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bristow, Oklahoma (Jones Memorial airport). It was an instructional 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 inadequate compensation for the crosswind conditions, which resulted in the airplane striking a snow bank during the landing flare/touchdown. A factor was the crosswind weather condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 2001 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bristow, Oklahoma · Jones Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N68472 · no longer on the register · serial 15282308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that a crosswind kept the airplane left of the runway's centerline. The airplane's left main landing gear struck a snow bank and the airplane veered off the runway. The pilot applied full power; however, the airplane nosed down, the left wing and propeller struck the ground, and the airplane returned to a level attitude before coming to rest.
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: student
- Flight time: 34 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,428.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 9, 2000; 95.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Oklahoma State University
The flight
- Departed from: SNL Shawnee OK at 7:45 pm
- Destination: 3F7 Bristow OK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 17, 3,400 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N68472 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.