Cessna 152 accident near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, November 1, 1985
On November 1, 1985 at about 10:05 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N4969H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- November 1, 1985 · about 10:05 pm local time
- Place
- Tahlequah, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N4969H · no longer on the register · serial 15284050
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CONTACTED STATIC CABLES AND DESCENDED TO GROUND CONTACT DURING AN AERIAL SEARCH FOR A PERSON. THE PLT HAD TURNED THE ACFT INTO THE SUN WHEN IT CONTACTED ONE OF TWO STATIC CABLES ON A POWER TRANSMISSION ARRAY APRX 159 FT AGL. THE TOWERS TO WHICH THE CABLES WERE ATTACHED ARE LOCATED ON HIGH TERRAIN ON WITHER SIDE OF A 4 LANE HWY.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,904 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 30, 1985; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 60K1 Tahlequah OK at 9:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:47 pm from TUL, 49 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.