Cessna 172M accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, October 11, 1998
On October 11, 1998 at about 4:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N172JF, was destroyed in an accident near Oklahoma City, 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
Suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 1998 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N172JF · no longer on the register · serial 17267410
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane roll into a steep bank and descend vertically into the ground. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical discrepancies that would have prevented normal operation. The operator observed the airplane taxiing for takeoff at a high speed. He called the air traffic control tower and requested that the controller relay a message to the pilot to return to the ramp. The airplane had taken off by the time the message was relayed. Although the pilot acknowledged receiving the message, radar data indicated the airplane did not turn back toward the airport, but continued toward the accident site. The site was located adjacent to a church where a friend of the pilot was attending services. The friend had reportedly declined a marriage proposal from the pilot the night before the accident. The medical examiner classified the pilot's death as a suicide. Toxicological testing detected 0.028 ug/ml diazepam (Valium) in kidney tissue, 0.077 ug/ml diazepam in liver tissue, 0.134 nordiazepam (metabolite of diazepam) in liver tissue, and 0.069 ug/ml nordiazepam in kidney tissue. The FAA does not approve the use of diazepam by pilots.
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: 147 hours in all; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 29, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: W.L. Frank L.L.C.
The flight
- Departed from: PWA at 4:18 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PWA, 5 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.
Other NTSB records under N172JF 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.