Cessna 150M accident near Horntown, Oklahoma, August 1, 1985
On August 1, 1985 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N187AR, was destroyed in an accident near Horntown, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1985 · about 8:15 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Horntown, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N187AR · registry record · serial 15077574
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT EXPERIENCED AN INTERMITTENT POWER LOSS IN CRUISE FLT. THE PLT'S ATTEMPTS TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL AND HE ELECTED TO EXECUTE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON A ROAD. DURING THE LANDING, THE ACFT STRUCK A WIRE AND VEERED INTO TREES ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE PLT STATED THAT HE HAD NOT APPLIED CARB HEAT DURING THE EMERGENCY BECAUSE HE CONSIDERED CARB ICE IMPROBABLE. THE ICING PROBABILITY CHART INDICATED THE POSSIBILITY OF CARB ICING AT GLIDE AND CRUISE PWR SETTINGS. ACFT WAS FUEL WITH A MIXTURE OF AUTO GAS AND AVIATION FUEL.
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: 360 hours in all; 151 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 230 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,898 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1985; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OF8 Sand Springs OK at 4:30 pm
- Destination: Hughe County OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from MLC, 30 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N187AR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,992 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Oklahoma 1,300 since 1982 · 181 in the last ten years
- Oklahoma 5,659 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW85LA303.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.