Cessna 150H accident near Carnegie, Oklahoma, May 4, 1989
On May 4, 1989 at about 3:10 am local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N22875, was destroyed in an accident near Carnegie, Oklahoma. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, WHICH RESULTED IN SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH RISING/HILLY TERRAIN. RELATED FACTORS WERE: INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION BY THE PILOT, DARK NIGHT, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND RISING/HILLY TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1989 · about 3:10 am local time
- Place
- Carnegie, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N22875 · registry record · serial 15068581
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & PAX HAD FLOWN FROM HOBART TO OKLAHOMA CITY EARLIER IN THE DAY. AT APRX 2115 CDT, THE PLT TOOK OFF ON THE RETURN FLT WITHOUT FILING A FLT PLAN OR RCVG AN FAA WX BRIEFING. BY THAT TIME, WX HAD DIMINISHED ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLT, WHICH WAS TO THE WSW OF OKLAHOMA CITY. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT IMPACTED ON RISING TERRAIN, WHILE IN ABOUT A 30 DEG, RIGHT BANK ATTITUDE ON A HDG OF 130 DEG. THE ACFT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED FROM IMPACT & FIRE. NO PREIMPACT FAILURE OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS OR ENG WAS FOUND. ACCORDING TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL, THERE WAS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITH HEAVY RAIN & REDUCED VISIBILITY IN THE AREA OF THE ACDNT. THE PLT'S LAST MED CERT WAS DATED 3/30/84. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED THE PRESENCE OF ETHANOL; HOWEVER, THE TOXICOLOGIST NOTED THAT ETHANOL PRODUCTION MAY HAVE OCCURRED FROM TISSUE DECOMPOSITION OR BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION. THE 2155 CDT WX AT LAWTON, OK, WAS IN PART: 300' OBSCURED, VIS 7 MI.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 302 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,445 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 14, 1988; 62 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: PWA Oklahoma City OK
- Destination: HBR Hobart OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots
- Sky: not recorded at 300 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from WPA, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MKC89FA102.