Cessna 150F accident near Muskogee, Oklahoma, April 21, 1998
On April 21, 1998 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8720G, was destroyed in an accident near Muskogee, Oklahoma (Hatbox airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent stall as result of the pilot's failure to retract the flaps from the fully extended position prior to takeoff. Factors were the gusting winds and the pilot's failure to follow the before takeoff checklist.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1998 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Muskogee, Oklahoma · Hatbox · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8720G · no longer on the register · serial 15062820
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor lost control of the airplane while on initial climb during an instructional flight. The airplane was observed by a witness to be performing touch and go landings on runway 35. While on the initial climb portion of the third takeoff, the witness observed the airplane bank to the left as the nose dropped towards the ground. The airplane impacted on the airfield, in the infield grass area. Examination of the wreckage site revealed that the airplane impacted the ground on a measured heading of 185 degrees in a left turn, in a nose low attitude. The wing flap actuator was found in the fully extended position. The winds at the time of the accident were reported from 350 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The owner's manual for the airplane states that flap deflections of 30 and 40 degrees are not recommended at any time for takeoff. Examination of the airframe and a teardown examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented normal flight operations.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,273 hours in all; 64 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 3,911 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,260 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 6, 1998; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MKO Muskogee OK at 8:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,800 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 pm from MKO, 5 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.