Cessna 172D accident near Cordell, Oklahoma, August 9, 1986
On August 9, 1986 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172D, registered N2730U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cordell, Oklahoma. 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
- August 9, 1986 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cordell, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172D · all 172Ds on the register
- Registration
- N2730U · no longer on the register · serial 17250330
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS PRACTICING MANEUVERS AT 1200 FEET AGL, WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. HE APPLIED THE CARBURETOR HEAT AND HAD A LARGE POWER REDUCTION. HE THEN TURNED OFF THE CARBURETOR HEAT AND HAD A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER AT APPROXIMATELY 800 FEET AGL. THE PILOT BEGAN AN EMERGENCY DESCENT AND THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE AT APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET AGL. THIS CAUSED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO DROP AND YAW LEFT. THE AIRCRAFT SLID ABOUT 40 TO 50 FEET ON LANDING SEVERING THE NOSE GEAR AND BENDING THE RIGHT WING. NO EVIDENCE OF ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE CARBURETOR ICING PROBABILITY CHART INDICATES SERIOUS ICING CONDITIONS EXISTED.
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: 1,857 hours in all; 719 in this make and model; 68 in the last 90 days; 1,727 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,065 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 25, 1986; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F36 Cordell OK at 1:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 107° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from OKC, 70 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.