Cessna 172C accident near Prue, Oklahoma, February 10, 1990
On February 10, 1990 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172C, registered N1407Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prue, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO SEE-AND-AVOID THE POWERLINES. THE POWERLINES WERE A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1990 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Prue, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1407Y · no longer on the register · serial 17249107
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND HIS TWO PASSENGERS WERE ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT TO LOOK OVER HIS PROPERTY AT A LAKE. HE DECIDED TO FLY DOWN A CREEK THAT ENTERED THE LAKE. WHILE DOING SO, THE PLANE COLLIDED WITH HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINES, THEN WENT INTO THE LAKE. THE PILOT SAID HE DID NOT SEE THE LINES, NOR DID HE KNOW THEY WERE THERE.
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: 590 hours in all; 69 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 491 as pilot in command; 99 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,601 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1989; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Owasso OK at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N1407Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.