Beech C23 accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 23, 1999
On July 23, 1999 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech C23, registered N6712W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Tulsa International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1999 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Tulsa International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C23 · all C23s on the register
- Registration
- N6712W · no longer on the register · serial M-2251
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During final landing approach the airplane touched down hard resulting in substantial damage. The pilot was demonstrating a power off landing. During the landing flare, he noticed that his 'aiming point' was 'moving in the wrong direction.' He 'immediately tried to add power and as [he] was doing this [he] arrived at the ground - 3 pointed the aircraft, which resulted in damage.' The pilot stated that the runway had 'a large drop from about 50 percent of the length to the north.' He further stated that he thought 'the gradual loss of headwind when [he] descended below the crest of the runway, and the resultant loss of translational lift, allowed an increase in descent rate that went undetected until the flare.'
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,400 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 195 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days; 11,600 as pilot in command; 2,450 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,401 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 30, 1998; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BEC Wichita KS at 8:00 pm
- Destination: TUL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18R, 6,101 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.