Cessna 172 accident near Sallisaw, Oklahoma, March 29, 1986
On March 29, 1986 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N7341A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sallisaw, Oklahoma (Sallisaw airport). 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 1986 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sallisaw, Oklahoma · Sallisaw · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7341A · no longer on the register · serial 29441
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT ON APPROACH INTO AN UNFAMILIAR AIRSTRIP HE ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE AND A TAIL WIND. HE ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND AT A LOW ALTITUDE WITH FULL FLAPS. BEFORE SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED COULD BE REACHED AND FLAPS RETRACTED, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ALONG THE RUNWAY, CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.
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: 245 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,300 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 8, 1986; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,075 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Greenville TX at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from FSM, 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.
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.