Cessna 172P accident near Marietta, Oklahoma, September 5, 1988
On September 5, 1988 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N99144, was destroyed in an accident near Marietta, Oklahoma (Mcgehee Catfish Rest. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- September 5, 1988 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Marietta, Oklahoma · Mcgehee Catfish Rest. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N99144 · no longer on the register · serial 17276410
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ELECTED TO LAND ON RWY 17 WITH WIND FROM 300 DEGREES AT 6 KNOTS. DURING THE SECOND GO-AROUND THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT WING STRUCK A TREE AT A POINT 30 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT ENDED UP INVERTED IN A PARKING LOT. PLT STATED HE HAD LANDED AT THIS AIRPORT ABOUT EIGHT TIMES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: 363 hours in all; 147 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 193 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,653 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 5, 1988; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTW Fort Worth TX at 6:30 pm
- Destination: T40
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,450 ft by 55 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.