Cessna 150L accident near Altus, Oklahoma, December 26, 1986
On December 26, 1986 at about 5:07 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N18227, was destroyed in an accident near Altus, Oklahoma (Altus Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 1986 · about 5:07 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Altus, Oklahoma · Altus Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N18227 · no longer on the register · serial 15073880
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS CIRCLING ABOUT 40-50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AT A SLOW RATE OF AIRSPEED WHILE SEARCHING FOR A LOST DOG. HE WAS USING 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS AND MOST PROBABLY OPERATING AT A REDUCED POWER SETTING. CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT AND CARBURETOR HEAT WAS NOT BEING USED. HE APPARENTLY LOCATED THE DOG, STARTED A CLIMB, AND ADVANCED THE THROTTLE TO DEPART THE AREA WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT DUE TO AN EXCESSIVELY RICH FUEL MIXTURE AS A RESULT OF AN ACCUMULATION OF CARBURETOR ICE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN STALLED WITHOUT SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO RECOVER BEFORE GROUND IMPACT OCCURRED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,615 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 4, 1986; 30 hours since
- 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 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:07 pm from LTS, 4 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N18227: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 150 7,993 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Altus/Quartz Mountain Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Oklahoma 1,300 since 1982 · 181 in the last ten years
- Oklahoma 5,643 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW87FA037.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.