Cessna 172M accident near Ardmore, Oklahoma, September 11, 2003
On September 11, 2003, a Cessna 172M, registered N9651Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ardmore, Oklahoma (Ardmore Downtown Executive airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to adequately compensate for existing wind conditions. A contributing factor was the gusty crosswind conditions from the east.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 2003
- Place
- Ardmore, Oklahoma · Ardmore Downtown Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9651Q · no longer on the register · serial 172-65735
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft collided with trees while in the airport traffic pattern. According to the pilot, he encountered a downdraft while turning left base for a landing to the runway. Runway 17 is 5,000 feet long and 75 feet wide. Wind was reported by the weather observation facility at 1F0 to be from the southeast at 9 to 11 knots, with gusts to 16 knots. Official sunset was calculated by the Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory to be 1943.
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: 43 hours in all; 42 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 11, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,562.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 2003; 41.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1F0 Ardmore at 11:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 11:29 pm from ADM, 15 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.
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.