Cessna 172M accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, March 26, 1992
On March 26, 1992 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N20059, was destroyed in an accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Expressway Airpark 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
INADVERTENT STALL DURING ABORTED LANDING. FACTORS WERE THE TAILWIND, THE PILOT'S SELECTION OF THE WRONG RUNWAY FOR EXISTING WIND CONDITIONS AND HIS LONG LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1992 · about 10:10 pm local time · cases in 1992
- Place
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Expressway Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N20059 · registry record · serial 17260971
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LANDED DOWNWIND ON A 3,350 FOOT RUNWAY. AFTER TOUCHING DOWN BEYOND THE MID FIELD POINT, HE ELECTED TO ABORT THE LANDING. A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE WAS ESTABLISHED ON CLIMBOUT AND THE AIRPLANE STALLED AS THE PILOT INITIATED A LEFT CROSSWIND TURN.
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: 86 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 29 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,147 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1992; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: EWK Newton KS at 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 20, 3,350 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from OKC, 22 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N20059 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N20059 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,687 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D 258 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Newton-City-County · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Oklahoma 1,300 since 1982 · 181 in the last ten years
- Oklahoma 5,655 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N20059 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW92FA098.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.