Cessna 172M accident near Hobart, Oklahoma, April 13, 1993
On April 13, 1993 at about 7:22 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N61529, was destroyed in an accident near Hobart, Oklahoma. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADVERTENT STALL. FACTORS WERE THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT'S SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, HIS LACK OF TOTAL INSTRUMENT TIME, THE WEATHER, AND THE DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 1993 · about 7:22 am local time
- Place
- Hobart, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N61529 · registry record · serial 17264617
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A NEWLY CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT AND A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR DEPARTED ON A NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY TRAINING FLIGHT WHICH INCLUDED INTERMEDIATE STOPS AT TWO AIRPORTS. A WEATHER SYSTEM MOVED INTO THE AREA AND THE AIRPLANE INADVERTENTLY ENTERED THE WEATHER. THE PILOT ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH A MILITARY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FACILITY AND WAS ISSUED AN IFR CLEARANCE. A LOSS OF CONTROL WAS EXPERIENCED WHILE VECTORS WERE BEING ISSUED. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT HAD A TOTAL OF TWO HOURS OF ACTUAL INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,672 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: AMA Amarillo TX
- Destination: OUN Norman OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 am from HBR, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.