Cessna 172M accident near Norman, Oklahoma, February 24, 1988
On February 24, 1988 at about 8:02 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N20129, was destroyed in an accident near Norman, Oklahoma (Dollar Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. 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
- February 24, 1988 · about 8:02 pm local time
- Place
- Norman, Oklahoma · Dollar Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N20129 · no longer on the register · serial 17261023
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT RETRACTED FLAPS DURING GO AROUND AND AIRCRAFT SETTLED INTO TREES AND WAS DESTROYED. FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS WERE NOT WEARING THE AVAILABLE SHOULDER HARNESSES. THE ACFT WAS LANDING WITH A QUARTERING TAILWIND. DUE TO SERIOUS HEAD INJURIES THE PLT NEVER COMPLETED HIS ACC REPORT. A PASSENGER REPORTED THAT THE PLT RETRACTED THE FLAPS JUST OVER THE TREES AND THE ACFT SETTLED INTO THEM. THE INVESTIGATORS ELEVATION DRAWING OF THE ACC SHOWS THE ACFT OVER THE TREES AND THEN DESCENDING INTO THEM. NO MALFUNCTIONS OF THE ACFT WERE REPORTED OR DISCOVERED DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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: 300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,158 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OK23 Sayre OK
- Destination: Norman OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 1,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.