Cessna 150E accident near Shawnee, Oklahoma, December 21, 1985
On December 21, 1985 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Cessna 150E, registered N4066U, was destroyed in an accident near Shawnee, Oklahoma (Shawnee Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 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
- December 21, 1985 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Shawnee, Oklahoma · Shawnee Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150E · all 150Es on the register
- Registration
- N4066U · no longer on the register · serial 15061466
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE UNLICENSED PLT WAS CONDUCTING AN UNAUTHORIZED FLT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE PLT TOOK OFF FROM A SOD FLD ADJACENT TO A CLOSED RWY AT SHAWNEE, OK. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ACFT ASSUMED AN EXCESSIVELY NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF AND THE LEFT WING DROPPED FOLLOWED BY THE NOSE AT APRX 50 FT AGL. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN AN EXTREME NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PLT, WHO WAS UNRESTRAINED, WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE PLT HAD RECEIVED THERAPY FOR MENTAL DISORDERS OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,176 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 26, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNL Shawnee OK at 9:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.
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.