Cessna 172N accident near Lindsay, Oklahoma, November 29, 2002
On November 29, 2002 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5155E, was destroyed in an accident near Lindsay, Oklahoma (Chickasha Municipal Airport). It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight separation of the right wing due to the missing nut that secures the right wing's strut to fuselage fitting to the fuselage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 2002 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lindsay, Oklahoma · Chickasha Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5155E · no longer on the register · serial 17271741
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an aerial observation flight, the aircraft experienced an in-flight break up. Evidence at the accident site revealed that the right wing separated from the aircraft prior to impact. Further examination revealed that the right wing's strut to fuselage fitting was found without a nut that secures the fitting to the fuselage.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,272.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CHK Chickasha OK at 5:30 pm
- Destination: CHK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from CHK, 23 miles away
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 N5155E 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.