Cessna 152 accident near Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, July 12, 1986
On July 12, 1986 at about 4:25 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N65548, was destroyed in an accident near Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (Cotton Field). It was a personal flight 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
- July 12, 1986 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Broken Arrow, Oklahoma · Cotton Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N65548 · no longer on the register · serial 15281610
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE HIS TAKEOFF FROM THE INTERSECTION OF A CINDER PACKED RUNWAY, ALLOWING ONLY 900 FEET BEFORE THE END OF THE RUNWAY. GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS 1,700 LBS.; MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT IS 1,670. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND TO BE 3.3' AFT OF C.G. DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB OUT, THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED UP AND STALLED, IMPACTING THE GROUND AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE.
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 sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 3,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,400 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 4, 1986; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from TUL, 8 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.