Cessna A150M accident near Vinita, Oklahoma, January 13, 1996
On January 13, 1996 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Cessna A150M, registered N8125V, was destroyed in an accident near Vinita, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot to recover from a spin. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's ostentatious display and the lack of altitude (terrain clearance) for recovery from the aerobatic maneuver and subsequent spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 1996 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Vinita, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150M · all A150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N8125V · no longer on the register · serial A1500534
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness who had just flown with the pilot said the airplane took off and remained in the traffic pattern. He thought the pilot was going to do a touch-and-go landing. When the airplane was on downwind leg and abeam the runway threshold, it banked right and departed the traffic pattern. It climbed to an estimated altitude between 2,000 and 2,500 feet MSL. Suddenly, the nose pitched up about 70 degrees above the horizon and the pilot performed a 'hammerhead stall' (wing-over maneuver). The pilot recovered from the maneuver, then the airplane fell off on its left wing and entered a two-turn spin to the left. The pilot appeared to recover from this maneuver also, then the airplane disappeared behind trees and impacted the ground. The witness said that on previous occasions, he had observed the pilot do this and other aerobatic maneuvers after takeoff.
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: 1,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H04 OK at 10:20 pm
- Destination: OK30 Langley OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from JLM, 45 miles away
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.
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.