Cessna 120 accident near Whitefield, Oklahoma, March 22, 1986
On March 22, 1986 at about 11:13 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N77483, was destroyed in an accident near Whitefield, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- March 22, 1986 · about 11:13 pm local time
- Place
- Whitefield, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N77483 · no longer on the register · serial 11927
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS FLYING AT VERY LOW ALTITUDE WHILE CIRCLING THE AREA AND MOST PROBABLY DID NOT SEE THE POWERLINE, DUE TO SUNGLARE, UNTIL AT VERY CLOSE RANGE. HE THEN PULLED UP STEEPLY IN THE STRONG AND GUSTY HEADWIND AND STALLED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO RECOVER BEFORE GROUND IMPACT OCCURRED.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,065 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 17, 1985; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F48 Stigler OK at 11:00 pm
- Destination: H45 Seminole OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 235° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.