Cessna 150H accident near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, July 31, 1986
On July 31, 1986 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N50101, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bartlesville, Oklahoma. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 31, 1986 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Bartlesville, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N50101 · registry record · serial 15069063
- 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 PLT TOOK OFF ON A TEST FLT AFTER AN ANNUAL INSPN OF THE ACFT & A TOP OVERHAUL OF THE ENG HAD BEEN COMPLETED. WHILE CLIMBING THRU ABOUT 1200 TO 1300 FT AGL, THE ENG STARTED RUNNING ROUGH, THEN QUIT. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT, BUT WAS UNABLE. SUBSEQUENTLY, SHE LANDED THE ACFT IN AN AREA OF DENSE BRUSH & TREES. AN INV REVEALED THAT THE ROCKER ARM SUPPORT STRUCTURE ON THE #3 CYLINDER HAD FAILED, RELEASING THE ROCKER ARM SHAFT & BOTH ROCKER ARMS. TEARDOWN OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE #3 EXHAUST VALVE GUIDE WAS AN INCORRECT PART & WAS OVERSIZE IN LENGTH BY 0.165 INCH. THE OVERSIZE GUIDE WOULD NOT ALLOW FULL VALVE MOVEMENT & THE RESIDUAL MOVEMENT RESULTED IN FAILURE OF THE ROCKER ARM SUPPORT STRUCTURE.
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: 357 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 254 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,343 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from BVO, 1 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N50101 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.