Cessna 140 accident near Fairfax, Oklahoma, October 11, 1988
On October 11, 1988 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N11191, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairfax, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 1988 · about 4:30 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Fairfax, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N11191 · registry record · serial 13007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE LOCKED AND HE MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A MUDDY, PLOWED FIELD. THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD AND THE PLT RECEIVED A FRACTURE TO THE SKULL JUST ABOVE HIS RIGHT EYE. DURING ENGINE TEARDOWN, THE HEAD FROM THE EXHAUST VALVE ON THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER WAS FOUND STICKING SIDEWAYS IN THE HEAD OF THE NUMBER ONE PISTON.
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: 490 hours in all; 478 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 440 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,055 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 21, 1988; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PNC Ponca City OK at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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
- N11191 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 140 1,839 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ponca City Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Oklahoma 1,300 since 1982 · 181 in the last ten years
- Oklahoma 5,653 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW89LA003.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.