# Accident 19980421007359A: Cessna 150F, Muskogee, OK, April 21, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 21, 1998, 15:50 local time - Place: Muskogee, OK - Airport: Hatbox Field Airport - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Touch And Go Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.7200° N, 95.4690° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.7200&lon=-95.4690&mi=10 - Aircraft: N8720G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8720G-1998-11-09) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 150F (registry code 2071814, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150f) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 150F - Reported engine: CONT O200A - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - Pilot flight hours: 5,273 total, 64 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW98FA189](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98FA189) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980421007359A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.4) 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. (-23) ON APRIL 21, 1998, AT 1545 CDT, AN INSTRUCTOR PILOT AND A PRIVATE PILOT WERE FLYING TRAINING FLIGHTS IN A CESSNA, CE-150-F, N8270G, PRACTICING L ANDINGS AT HATBOX AIRPORT (HAX), MUSKOGEE, OK. WITNESSES SAID THE AIRCRAFT HAD MADE SEVERAL TOUCH AND GO OPERATIONS FROM SOUTH TO NORTH ON RUNWAY 35. ONE WITNESS SAID HE SAW THE AIRPLANE MAKE A STEEP LEFT BANK AFTER TAKEOFF. HE SAID HIS ATTENTION WAS DIVERTED FROM THE PLANE FOR A MOMENT, AND WHEN HE LOOKED AGAIN, IT WAS OUT OF SIGHT, AND THERE WERE FLAMES AND BLACK SMOKE. HE THOUGHT THE PLANE HAD CRASHED, AND HEADED IN ITS DIRECTION ON FOOT. HE SAID HE FLAGGED DOWN A DRIVER, WHO WENT TO CALL 911. THE THEN PROCEEDED TO THE CRASH SITE WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. INSPECTION OF THE SCENE DETERMINED THE LEFT WING IMPACTED FIRST; THEN THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER IMPACTED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ABOUT 30 FT. FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT. ALL WRECKAGE WAS IN AN AREA ABOUT 70 FT. IN DIAMETER. THE DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER SHOWS THERE WAS NO POWER BEING DEVELOPED BY THE ENGINE UPON IMPACT. THERE HAS BEEN NO DETERMINATION OF THE ENGINE'S CONDITION. IT WAS OVERHAULED ON APRIL 15, 1998, SEVEN DAYS BEFORE. THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR IS MAKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ENGINE TO BE DISASSEMBLED, AND OR TESTED BY CONTINENTAL ENGINE MANUFACTURERS IN ALABAMA. WE WILL KEEP ABREAST OF THE NTSB FINDINGS. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB FTW98FA189](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98FA189), Apr 21, 1998: Cessna 150F (N8720G), Muskogee, OK, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: 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… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.