Cessna T210L accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, August 17, 2004
On August 17, 2004 at about 10:12 pm local time, a Cessna T210L, registered N2452S, was destroyed in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Arpt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection by his failure to secure the oil cap, which resulted in oil leakage on the windscreen, obstructing his vision, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2004 · about 10:12 pm local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210L · all T210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N2452S · no longer on the register · serial 21061293
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was departing on runway 19R. Moments after liftoff, the pilot called tower and asked to return to the airport because he was getting oil on his windscreen. A pilot taking off immediately behind the accident airplane observed the airplane, at approximately 300 feet, turn right to return to the airport. He said that the airplane appeared very slow, and then it rotated to the ground. Postimpact examination of the wreckage revealed that the engine oil filler neck did not have a cap on it. The oil filler neck was partially compressed, and the oil cap was found (on a chain) undamaged. Pieces of windscreen Plexiglas were found outside of the wreckage zone, and they were coated with oil. The engine manufacturer's representative said that the engine could probably run for 15 to 25 minutes without a cap on the filler neck.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,473 hours in all; 794 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,129 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 2004; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental TSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RVS Tulsa OK at 10:10 pm
- Destination: JLN Joplin MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19R, 5,102 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:19 pm from RVS, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.