Cessna 172K accident near El Reno, Oklahoma, December 15, 1986
On December 15, 1986 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N736XP, was destroyed in an accident near El Reno, Oklahoma (Page airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- December 15, 1986 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- El Reno, Oklahoma · Page · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N736XP · no longer on the register · serial R1722822
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIVATE PILOT OF CESSNA 172K ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT IN IFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS. CONTACTED OKC APPROACH CONTROL AND REQUESTED SPECIAL VFR APPROACH DURING HOURS OF DARKNESS. APPROACH DENIED SPECIAL VFR DUE TO LACK OF INSTRUMENT QUALIFICATION OF PILOT. PILOT WAS ISSUED RADAR VECTORS FOR LANDING AT NEARBY AIRPORT. PILOT ATTEMPTED TO FLY BENEATH LOW CEILING IN FOG AND ALLOWED AIRCRAFT TO CONTACT TERRAIN. PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER FATALLY INJURED. SECOND PASSENGER SERIOUSLY INJURED. AIRCRAFT DESTROYED. PILOT HAD APPROXIMATELY 150 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME.
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: 152 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,624 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 23, 1986; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F19 Granite OK
- Destination: F29 El Reno OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.