Cessna 172P accident near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, September 26, 1984
On September 26, 1984 at about 1:05 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52270, was destroyed in an accident near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1984 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- Webbers Falls, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52270 · no longer on the register · serial 17274473
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT STRUCK ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINE 80' ABOVE WATER WHILE FLYING UNDER THE LINE DURING A WILDLIFE SURVEY. THE ACFT'S MISSION WAS TO CONDUCT A DUCK COUNT ALONG A RIVER IN A NAT'L WILDLIFE REFUGE WHICH REQUIRED LOW, SLOW MANEUVERING. THE EX-AG PILOT WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE MISSION AND THE SURVEY AREA. THE ACFT'S LEFT WING TIP STRUCK THE 2' CABLE WHILE IN A 20 DEG RIGHT BANK. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE RIVER ABOUT 1/8TH OF A MILE DOWNSTREAM FRON THE WIRE.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,381 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 7,239 as pilot in command; 255 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 17, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,220 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sallisaw Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 2M3 Sallisaw OK at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:05 pm from TUL, 70 miles away
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.